A Thousand Failed Temptations
by BettyBest2
Summary: What are you to do when you find a demon you're undeniably attracted to and want insatiably? Well, tempt him, of course! When that doesn't work, what are you to do when he still shows signs of being interested in you, and only you, but insists on keeping a certain distance? A different method entirely is called for. One Zeldris is keen on helping Gelda discover.
1. Chapter 1

As written on my profile, this is an incomplete work I'm posting. You can go there to see the entire explanation.

* * *

 **~1~**

Vibrant blue eyes reflect in boredom in the pristine window framed by thick embroidered curtains. She stares down from one of the bedchambers on fourth level of the Edinburgh castle. Her arms are stretched out to her sides as her helper maids make final adjustments to the shockingly white dress that clings to her torso and drapes around her legs and the stark black petticoat beneath it. Gelda sighs when one tells her she can place her arms down after they smooth the sleeves against her arms one last time. Then the princess gazes fleetingly at the hanging crescent moon before observing the long stretch of land that expands past the kingdom she resides in. She wonders about the meeting she has to attend this evening and how it will most likely end in her father's favor due to her ability.

There is a knock at her door causing her maids to straighten up while she turns to face the disturbance. "Come in." She tells them in a quiet resonance.

The door swings open and a servant immediately bows low at the waist as he begins to speak. "Lady Gelda, His Highness requests your immediate presence in the throne room."

Gelda brushes a stray strand of her pale blond hair that managed to come from her intricate twist over her shoulder and behind her ear as her lips purse. "Thank you. I'll be there momentarily." The servant bows once more and makes his leave just as Gelda turns to the two maids still hovering in wait of any requests. "That will be all," she dismisses them curtly. Once alone, she lets her stoic mask crumble for the briefest of moments. This has been her life for far longer than she would ever hope for. Edinburgh is a land of treachery and deceit. And her role as "The Thousand Temptations" places her in the center of it all.

Her father wants her at this meeting to assure that the visiting nobleman will be more agreeing to his terms and more easily swayed once Gelda sets her eyes on them. Of course the downside to this is that once her magic drifts into the unsuspecting victim there's no going back. She's forced to spend the night with them. Not that her father cares. He's more concerned with the settlement made that'll quickly be undermined in favor of conquering the new land when least suspected, so that a new batch of vampires can be brought to their numbers.

Her journey through the castle is swift; she wishes to arrive before the visitor so as not to draw any unnecessary attention to herself. Pushing open the heavy side door at the back of the throne room, she immediately lowers her head in greeting to her father as she rushes to take her place at his side. Even sitting in his throne crudely structured from the skulls of the deceased, King Izraf towers over her standing figure as his black hair tumbles around his shoulders in utter disarray.

Gelda keeps her stance tall and her expression smooth as she stares patiently at the thick doors that will grant the visitor entrance soon. However, the deep booming voice of her father causes her to start and turn to him with curious eyes. "Gelda, I do not under any circumstances want you to charm this… _guest_ ," he hisses the word with such contempt she has to still herself from the sheer hatred that curls from his form, "I will handle him solely. I don't wish for you to be alone with him, is this understood?"

She lowers her head as she agrees, "Yes, father." Although confusion swirls in her mind at this development. Never once has her father told her not to use her ability bestowed upon her by him for his gain. He's never once cared for the outcome of her meetings with his guests, so that can't be the reason for the sudden change. So why?

The sound of the massive doors opening as a servant rushes in to announce their visitor shocks her into awareness.

"Your Lordship and Lady Gelda, I announce Zeldris of the demon realm." The servant quickly moves to the side allowing Gelda to curiously peek at the entering male, apparently from the demonic realm. ' _No one from that place has come before. Maybe that's why my father is so wary?'_ She considers as she tries to take in his features through the thick darkness that cloaks the inside of the castle day in and day out. When he stands before the throne, she finally sees him with perfect clarity and feels her insides jolt in surprise.

The first thought that comes to mind is that he's _young_ and unbelievably handsome. All of her father's visitors usually end up being towards middle aged or even older and despite herself being a few hundred years old, it's still unpleasant to be around someone who looks older than her own father. But this man is anything but unappealing. Her eyes sweep across his raven strands that curl wildly from his head, to the steady set of his jaw as he stares up unflinchingly at her father. His eyes are hard and the darkest she's ever seen. And his body… Gelda feels a twinge inside her stomach that coils then heats into a pleasant warmth as she's forced to look away. He's a soldier. He must be from the muscles that strain against his longcoat her hands are dying to run across.

She feels her cheeks heat embarrassingly as she keeps her eyes to the floor, unable to hear what they're saying due to the way her heart's hammering in her ears.

"The Demon King promises you a wide stretch of land along with as many humans as you wish so long as you lend us your unwavering support in the coming war against the goddesses," she finally hears once she manages to catch after taking a set of long, deep breaths. The voice is dark in its low tenor, dripping with an immeasurable amount of control and power that causes a fierce shiver to race up and down her spine. Heavens above what she would give to have him talk to her with such a voice.

Her eyes glaze over as she raises a hand up to her cheek and finally raises her gaze to stare at him from beneath her eyelashes. She vaguely hears her father's hissing voice come to an agreement while watching Zeldris with desiring eyes. Her father told her she wasn't to charm him and that he would take care of the visitor. A sudden flaring of anger burns ferociously beneath her skin like the sacred flames of her magic. Why this time? This one time when she would actually gain an experience more than memorable is she forbidden to use her gift? Why must her father always be so cruel to her?

Gelda furrows her brows as her hands slip down to her sides. Not this time. She wants the attentions of this mysterious demon and doesn't give a damn about what her father has to say to it. Steeling herself she keeps her gaze steady on Zeldris and lets the cool ball of wispy magic nestled inside her drift in his direction with a practiced ease from years of use. She gazes at him with a coquettish smile as he and her father negotiate his stay in their land for the time being, the idea of which thrills her further.

"The Demon Lord sent me here to not only relay his message, but also to keep track of things as you prepare your army. So, Izraf, my stay here is nonnegotiable," Zeldris concludes calmly that in no way hides the frigid warning that arises within his eyes. As her father begins to grumble furiously at the developments, Zeldris shifts his gaze in her direction as she expected. It's the first time he's gazed at her since entering the room and being under his scrutiny causes her stomach to flip excitedly.

It only lasts for an instant though when she realizes he's gazing at her just as indifferently as he has the entire room since he arrived. But that shouldn't be. Her ability has never failed.

"Keep your eyes off my daughter you filthy demon! You are not to touch her or this deal is void!" Izraf roars murderously as he slams his fists on the arms of his throne sending bits of bones flying to the sides and causing Gelda to flinch.

Zeldris simply slides his gaze back forward as his voice eases outward unperturbed. "I apologize for my ability to see and my gaze happening to land on her. It will not happen again."

Izraf is on his feet as his hand shoot out in the demons direction causing Gelda's heart to plunge in her stomach as she watches the two in horror. "Are you being smart with me, demon? Do you realize what I can do to you?"

Zeldris gives the tiniest smirk. "No, of course not. I was simply stating the honest truth, was I not? I was only looking in her direction because I had a sudden... _urge_ to."

Izraf hesitates for only a second but it feels like an entire lifetime to Gelda as she feels the world begin to spin dizzyingly around her when fear fills her with a nauseating forcefulness. Her father gazes at her with such rage, she's certain whatever punishment she'll receive will make her regret her decision to go after Zeldris.

" _Gelda, did you—!_ "

"My attention was caught by that lovely tapestry behind her. It's unfortunate she happened to be standing in the way of its view," Zeldris continues on as if he hadn't been interrupted and Gelda turns in his direction with wide hopeful eyes.

Izraf is again quiet for a moment before his gaze returns to the stoic demon standing as sharply as he has since he entered the room. "I don't know what game you're playing at, demon, but my word still remains. She is to remain untouched by the likes of you!"

Gelda feels herself tremble subtly as she tries to calm down from the near discovery of her transgression while keeping her eyes on the silent way Zeldris seems to contemplate his next words. She knows he was referring to her when he felt that urge, he was letting her know, but at the last moment he spared her. Why? What exactly is going on behind those cool eyes and that biting smirk of his?

"Right. Now where will I be staying?" Zeldris finally voices as his arms shift over his chest emphasizing his muscles, making Gelda long for a chance to be closer to him despite her father's obvious wrath. It was a foolish move to try and transfix Zeldris in the presence of her father, but the rebellion had burned bright and her need had kindled hotly. It was near impossible to deny an attempt at drawing him in and she's positive it won't be her last. She simply knows she'll have to tread more cautiously.

"A servant will show you to your room." Her father growls before clapping his hands twice. One male servant immediately enters with a low bow as her father gives the command. As the male leads Zeldris from the room, Gelda bites her lip fretfully hating that she hadn't gotten to say anything to him at all. She watches him with keen eyes as she raises a hand to brush that stray strand back behind her ear and her breath nearly hitches when Zeldris catches her eyes for the briefest of moments in his turn to leave. The look in his eyes is devilish and filled with trouble and for a moment she wonders if her wanting him is a wise decision. It truly occurs to her that he's a _demon_ and maybe her father has a good reason for warning her away from him.

But as she watches his back as he fades into the darkness, the idea of staying away from him vanishes. He may be trouble, but he's the most interesting thing that's happened to her in centuries and there's no way she's giving that up that easily.

~.~.~

She feels her vocal cords straining before she even truly regains consciousness. Bolting upright in her bed, Gelda stifles her scream as her eyes blink rapidly still seeing the images from her dream or nightmare flashing before her eyes. She's breathless as she stares blankly ahead trying to recall what happened during her slumber, but only seeing bursts of bright lights from some magic and surprisingly Zeldris' grave face. When the dream finally slips like irretrievable grains of sand in the recesses of her mind, Gelda finally takes note of her surroundings.

She's in her bedchamber where she'd retired after Zeldris' arrival the night before. Sleep hadn't come too easy with thoughts of the new demon being somewhere in the castle. It was far too simple to slip into thoughts where he was the center focus. What would his hair feel like between her fingers? What would it be like to have his hands beneath her dress roaming along her heated flesh? Would he be cold and uncaring in his advances? Or would he be burning to the touch and passionate? She'd stayed up, hoping that maybe her enchantment had worked and that perhaps he was simply waiting for the right time to find her alone. But he hadn't come and she'd been left alone to wonder how it was possible he wasn't affected and more importantly what she would have to do to obtain his attentions.

She looks down at her disheveled sheets and her sweat soaked chemise and considers her fitful sleep as a cause of her overthinking.

Sharp whacks on her door pull her focus outward as she steps out of bed onto the cold stone floors. "Come in."

Her two helper maids come in and immediately begin fussing over the mussed sheets and her untidy appearance one of them already rushing into her washroom to begin running a bath. Gelda sighs weakly; the two women are kind, but it would be nice if she could be given the chance to do things on her own.

~.~.~

Gelda strolls from her room without a hair out of place. Her two personal servants are at her heels waiting for orders which Gelda does not wish to give. Her mind is taking note of the time of day by instinct. It's just reached late morning she muses with pursed lips. Her nightmare must have kept her in slumber a lot longer than she'd realized. No one had awoken her which means she's not needed for meetings. The free morning begins to breed ideas in the princess' mind. Ideas that will either lead to blazing success or withering failure.

Turning her gaze to the brunette beside her Gelda pulls her lips up into a soft smile. "Do you know anything of our guest's whereabouts this morning? Or even where he was given a room to stay? I need to discuss a matter pertaining to one of his tasks here in Edinburgh."

The brunette looks startled at the odd question. "I… apologize, Princess, but I do not know."

Gelda lets out a silent frustrated huff before her other servant speaks up in a helpful tone. "I do not know of his whereabouts this morning, but I do know that he was given a room on the third floor, Lady Gelda."

Gelda's shoulders relax as she smiles thankfully at the stocky auburn haired woman to her left. "Thank you. That will be all I need for now. You both can do as you please until I need you." The two bow gratefully before taking their leave.

Gelda waits until she's certain they have disappeared before a wide smile fills her face as she strides forward at a brisk pace. Zeldris is on the floor beneath hers, her floor being the highest in the castle. She sometimes thinks her father gave her a room on the highest floor just to make it harder for her to escape. However escape is the furthest thing on her mind as she takes the stairs leading downward, keeping one hand on the rough rocks of the curving wall and the other gripping the skirt of her sky blue dress.

This could definitely be a chance to catch him alone, if he's still in the castle, and perhaps get a chance to speak with him and maybe even get a little insight into his thoughts. Her heels clack loudly in her rush through the halls, her mind curiously seeking the dark essence she'd felt in the throne room the night before. As her eyes flick from room to room her mind wanders to his mannerism in the throne room. Zeldris was the epitome of composure and control as her father spoke to him in feral tones. Even when her father was seconds away from unleashing his fury, Zeldris hadn't once flinched or even given off the appearance of being intimidated, which leads to several electrifying prospects. Even though she hadn't felt it entirely, Zeldris must have a substantial amount of power at his disposal. And that fleeting look of cold rage that built within his gaze at her father's displeasure at Zeldris' stay within the castle hints at his hidden facets that she can only hope to draw out.

She turns a corner at a slightly slower pace when the feel of darkness catches her attention. Even when focusing on it, it's hard to pinpoint exactly where he is except his general direction, so Gelda is forced to tread forward vigilantly. Torches throw splashes of orange on the walls occasionally, but otherwise the halls remain in a comfortable gloom of darkness her eyes peer through with growing anticipation. Occasionally she'll spot guards standing in corners and servants lumbering about, but she can't seem to place where Zeldris is.

Then she turns another corner and something about the long stretch of hall leaves a sense of eeriness in her. Her heels are much too loud she eventually decides as she pulls her lower lip gently between her teeth nervously. The sound they make bounces off the walls, gives her presence away much to her chagrin. She quickly slips into an alcove and pulls the dainty shoes off her feet allowing the cold stones to shock through her soles as she peers around the edge of the nook she's in. She feels Zeldris' energy more surely in this area than any of the others and being able to catch him the slightest bit off guard would be an intriguing scenario.

Leaving her shoes behind she pads forward keeping one hand on the stones beside her as her vision cuts through the darkness looking for anything moving out of the ordinary… _There!_ A person moves with a purposeful stride towards the end of the hall.

Her heart begins to race in exhilaration at the chance of finally being alone with him. Gelda bursts forward on silent feet with thoughts of how to possible catch his attention. Maybe she'll call out his name when she's close enough? Or place a hand on his shoulder when she's behind him? Her cheeks flare at the thought of getting the chance to touch him, even if it's innocent enough. He's right there, right in front of him and she decides to do both.

"Zeldris?" His name comes out like a purr of delight and she realizes she wants to say it as often as she can. Her hand reaches forward eagerly only to fall through empty air. No one is there.

"What…? But I was certain he was here?" She murmurs in distress when she tries to sense out his presence, sure enough, coming up with him still being in the vicinity. So where did the demon disappear?

"What is it you vampires _do?_ " a low voice echoes from above.

Inhaling quickly Gelda looks up and stares in wonder at Zeldris sitting casually in the windowsill covered by heavy shutters. The look in his eyes as he stares down at her is partly amused and something else that she can't identify before he leaps from his perch to land right in front of her. The heat from his form practically burns into her, they're standing so close, and as she draws in deep shuddering breaths she has to fight the urge to bite her lip roughly for fear of cutting herself. His scent is _intoxicating_ , rich and heady to her thrumming senses.

Zeldris' lips seem to curl slightly as she feels his eyes roam over her surely flushed face. "I've been up since dawn out of a force of habit. It was easy to do a patrol within the castle. It seems you vampires like to shut yourselves in at the slightest sign of light, which is understandable given your race's weakness." She listens with rapt interest to the inflections of his voice as he seemingly talks with ease to her. She takes diligent notes of anything that might give her insight to his personality. Like the way his eyes seem to darken with contempt at the mention of their weakness. Maybe he's a perfectionist?

His eyes focus in on her once more as he begins to scowl. "I thought there'd some kind of training grounds indoors or something perhaps you all _did_ , but it's been hours now and I've come to a few conclusions. There are the pathetic servants, maids, and guards who amble around like lost souls waiting to be put out of their misery. Then there are the royal members who torments the pathetic bunch in this castle for shits and giggles. The King who broods over reports and grumbles over my presence…" He takes a step forward with each point he makes, forcing Gelda to press backwards until her breath flees at the feel of stone against her back.

She watches him smirk as he comes to stand nearly chest to chest with her. She meets his gaze head on with a smooth expression despite the weak feeling in her knees. "And then there is you. The princess with a knack for stalking."

She feels embarrassment color her face and bleed across her ears as she begins to splutter indignantly. "I would _never—_ I did not—"

"Oh really?" he arches an eyebrow and she can see the amused mockery that dances in his eyes as he chuckles. "Would you believe I led you astray a few times just to be certain?"

She turns her face away shamefully. It was a foolish idea to think she could sneak up on someone with expertise like him.

"Now what do you want?" The serious address causes her eyes to turn back to his, wide and uncertain.

"I just… wished to speak with you." She hadn't thought this through. Her infatuation with him has blinded her to the fact that he isn't swayed to her gift. Now that she looks at it with a slightly clearer mind, she realizes she's alone in an empty corridor with a demon of immense power. He could do anything to her and she would be powerless to stop him.

Zeldris' eyelids lower just slightly, then his head sinks to her ear and her eyes drift shut at the velvety way his voice caresses her senses. "You and I both know that's not true, _Gelda_." Her breathing turns shallow as her hands clench at her sides wanting to reach up and pull him against her body starving for contact with his.

When he pulls back, she's afraid to open her eyes for fear the undeniable want that burns within them will be easily seen. So she looks down instead where she notices his hand is braced on the wall beside her and the other… She gasps at the rough texture of his fingers captures her chin forcing her to look upward and into his intense gaze, the feeling instantly causing a full-bodied tremble to roll through her like a powerful wave. "Did you think I came here uninformed, Princess? I know of your title, Gelda, the thousand temptations. I felt what you can do last night. I feel what you're trying to do _now_ ," he pauses to laugh almost in ridicule of her efforts. The sound of it causing pure unbridled infuriation to fill her at his obvious knowledge of his effect on her while he goes on with a lack of interest in her whatsoever.

"How are you unaffected?" She bites out with a frown.

His teeth show in a grin of overwhelming confidence. "You will come to learn that I'm not easily controlled. I can feel your power urging me to pull you close. To hold you, burn you with my touch, and run my lips across your supple flesh… You want me to do things to you that'll make you forget your name, am I correct, _Gelda?_ "

She presses her lips together to suppress a moan as her answer. Her mind runs wild with heated images causing all the strength to give out in her knees. She allows the wall to hold her weight entirely now as Zeldris gazes at her with a smugness that both angers her and aids the steady slickness that forms from her rubbing her thighs together in a futile effort to find relief. Still, though, she succeeds in dropping her voice to a frosty level of hostility when his hand leaves her chin and fleetingly runs across the shoulder of her dress, toying with her further. "And you don't want me at all? You feel nothing towards me?"

"That's neither a yes or no."

The blunt response causes a familiar defiance to rise within her. "I don't believe you," she blurts out lowly. A bit of feisty resistance rises in her as her eyes stay trained on his. Her hands are quick in reaching forward to slide up his chest in a sensual display of her need, but what she hadn't expected was him having seen the move coming. His hands snatch hers up before they can make contact and press her palms flat against her back.

Zeldris gazes at her with that infuriating calm as his lips curve in mirth. "We can't have any of that now can we? I'm sure your father would be furious to know how you've gone against his wishes to try and be with a demon like me…"

Her bust arches into the taut muscles of his chest with each harsh breath she takes. A storm of various shades of anger and desire crash inside her. All from a single encounter from this captivating demon. "You wouldn't tell him," she states with absolute certainty and is delighted when he gives a pleased chuckle.

"My, you catch on quickly. I'm here under my King's volition, otherwise I do as I please…"

"So I have a chance of convincing you, Zeldris?" she presses as her hands fidget in his hold, her attempts at twisting her hands to at least try to get a feel of his being unsuccessful. In her near inattentiveness she almost misses the way his eyes become smoldering for an instance before they're cool and calculating once more.

His hands release her as he takes a step back and regards her slowly, dangling her precariously over the edge as she waits for his answer. Then finally with a careless shrug, his eyes trail off to the side as he responds concisely. "I'll need some source of entertainment, won't I?" He turns away, making his way down the hall and around the corner then in a clean march, leaving her with no other hints to his meaning.

Gelda stands there alone for a moment, attempting to get her heart back on its proper tempo. She hasn't a clue of what to think of the demon. He either wants her or he doesn't. Neither of which is clear. What she does know is that he finds her obvious attraction to him amusing and that irks her greatly. There's only two things she's wanted in her life. Her freedom from this oppressive rule and control under her cruel father, and the demon, Zeldris. _Is it really comical to want an experience with someone I'm actually attracted to instead of it being a shuddering experience as a result of my father's orders?'_

Gelda breathes out slowly and her eyes turn downcast as she walks in the opposite direction Zeldris disappeared on bare feet. The sound of creaking armor coming from around the hall in front of her forces her to straighten her posture and place the mask of the cold unaffected princess back on. So when the group of guards pass by and greet her, she's able to speak in cool intones. Discreetly, as they continue forward behind her, she picks up her heels she left in the alcove and mentally comes to a decision.

It doesn't matter what Zeldris says or does, this is something she wants and desperately needs. She experiences a connection to life she hasn't felt in years when he speaks to or even acknowledges her and she won't give that up. She'll convince him. She'll change his mind one way or another. She will know what it feels like to be filled with a passion so strong… she won't remember her name.


	2. Chapter 2

**~2~**

Gelda stands stoically in the presence of her father and all of the royal members of her clan in the dining hall of Edinburgh castle as they await their evening meal. Usually they go about meals separately, but as a storm rages on persistently this evening, the short eccentric vampire, Orlondi, had suggested that they have a few guards gather humans and bring them in instead. Gelda doesn't particularly wish to be in their company at the moment as her mind keeps wandering towards pleasing thoughts from the evening before and it wouldn't do any good if anyone—her father—noticed her gaining a blush or the soft smile her lips will definitely form.

It's been a week since Zeldris arrived and Gelda's "stalking behavior" hasn't diminished in the slightest. She'd try to be stealthy about it, but Zeldris was not one to be caught off guard easily, if at all. So after the third time of him showing up behind her with a humorous laugh at her antics, she gave up all forms of secrecy. She wanted to know what he did in the mornings, but it became clear that unless he wanted to be found it was near impossible to happen upon him in the day time. She suspects he goes out and perhaps hunts for food as there is no "human nourishment" anywhere in the castle. It became clear then that the best time to hope for any alone time with Zeldris was during the evening.

She had been wandering the castle one evening a few days after his arrival to the castle desperate to at least speak to him once before she retired to her room when she'd passed by a window giving way to the silvery rays of moonlight. She'd paused for a moment to take in the scenery of the world beyond the castle walls of Edinburgh, giving into the urge to imagine what it would be like to live out there and be free as she always does. However, a new sight had caught her eye and caused her heart to flutter. It was Zeldris, in the plot of land extending behind the castle, doing intricate fighting maneuvers. Even from her distance she could see that no motion was wasted, every twist of his form and swipe of his blade at invisible enemies' throats would be one hundred percent effective. It had been magnificent. And she'd instantly wanted a closer look.

She had wound up in a trance just watching him dance with the deadly precision of a natural born executioner. Never before had she'd seen anyone like him with such skill and expertise in what they do. His dedication is fierce, she'd realized, and some nights he'd work himself into a heavy sweat. The first time she'd been entirely shocked and glued to her spot sitting with her back against the castle wall when he'd sheathed his sword and began to strip out of his longcoat and the thin black material of his shirt beneath it.

That night began the first of many where she would change into the most comfortable dresses she owned so that she could more easily scale the wall surrounding the castle in order to be as close as she dared to Zeldris when he trained. Climbing, or anything to do with manual labor, was not something Gelda was used to, but being a vampire gave her a strategic advantage in achieving her goal. Once over the boundary, she never strayed far from leaning against it, for fear of someone discovering her missing and the need to return as quickly as necessary always sitting in the back of her mind. But even sitting there in the chilly night air, just beyond the border of her kingdom was always elating.

It was only made infinitely better when she got to watch Zeldris, who clearly knew she was there by the subtle stiffening of his body before he'd continue on uninterrupted, allowing her presence. It was such a treat being permitted to get so close to him, even during his times of practice. It made her feel as if he wanted her around just as much as she wanted to be there.

Gelda wanted his attention just as strongly as she wanted to know him on a deeper level. She didn't know when these thoughts of wanting him beyond just his incredible body, just dripping power and sexual appeal in her mind, began to shift, but she doesn't want to fight the change. She wished he would one day stop and see her for what she was. Someone willing to risk everything just for a single moment in blissful passion with him. And possibly more… The risk hung heavily over her head for what she hesitantly let herself dream of and relentlessly pursue, but she hadn't a care. Zeldris meant more than her bleak existence in Edinburgh.

He'd rejected her before, not giving her a straight answer as to whether or not he was interested in her or not. The simple thought that he'd turned her down without so much as a single thought had made him even more desirable in her eyes. Zeldris was different. Like no other she'd encounter before in her short life. She wished to learn more about the mysterious person behind the stern mask he wore. She wanted to know what it felt like to be _allowed_ to gain access to such a side to him. She wanted any and everything he could give, could offer. And she was hell bent on achieving her goal.

She'd be lying if she denied waking up more than once to lewd dreams surrounding the chiseled form of his torso and the toned muscles along his arms all emphasized in a sheen layer of moisture.

Gelda now finds herself sighing dreamily, until she senses the distinct feeling of eyes boring into her form. She stiffens as her face relaxes into an indifferent mask as she turns to her side and notices the ravenette, Ren, staring at her questionably. Gelda merely arches an eyebrow in the vampire's direction which eventually suffices for the time being, much to Gelda's relief. She shifts impatiently in a more modest dress, less gaudy than her usual that requires petticoats and corsets, hoping their meals will arrive soon so less attention can possibly be drawn to her. Of course, her mind points out the fact that it's evening when she normally meets Zeldris…

But with it raining, she wonders if she will be able to see him tonight? She desperately wishes to, especially after their unexpected parting the night before.

Usually after his training was done, Zeldris would offer to help her back over the wall with an amused glint in his eyes knowing it's something she wouldn't be able to resist. And of course she never turned him down as for the shortest of instances she's able to cling to him as he hopped with ease over the expanse of the wall. The first time he walked up to her came to her as a complete surprise. Heat had instantly rushed up her neck and into her cheeks as she'd gazed up into his expression filled with the rush of exertion from his activities. He'd stood there for all of two seconds before offering his hand out to her to which she stared blankly at. After several seconds of stilled silence between them he'd huffed, leant down and pulled her up into his arms as she squealed. Being in his hold then was extraordinary and she promised herself to never pass up the opportunity again.

After clearing the wall, they would reenter the castle and stick to the quiet and hardly used halls as they made their way to her room, where he would, to her disappointment, customarily leave her.

Along the way she had found the nerve to ask him questions. He was usually closed off to all others, exhibiting this wall of frosty malice to ward off any approachers, but that facade seemed to disappear with her. Gelda wondered why he would talk so easily with her, since he had rejected her so completely, but was scared to ask him and risk his annoyance with her. Then he might stop answering her questions, and she was always fascinated with his openness with her and used her inquires to the full extent. She'd ask things like, does he have family? Why did he become a soldier? Does he have anything he enjoys doing? Did he have any lovers and, if he doesn't, would he be interesting in taking one?

He'd outright laughed at that one, telling her a simple "No." as an answer. Even though she'd felt foolish for asking and his answer left her with more questions, she'd discovered that she truly enjoyed the sound of his laughter.

The night before, she had stared keenly as Zeldris sheathed his sword. Gelda awaited the familiar offering of his hand followed by his brusque, "Shall we be on our way?" He stood over her, eyes wild from excitement as his hand extended down. She swallowed back the rapid thudding of her heart as she always did when looking into such a wildly, intense gaze, then slid her dainty hand into the coarseness of his palm. The texture of it never failed to send bolts of thrilling tendrils down her spine.

But when he tugged her to her feet, she was surprised that he began to pull her away from the wall and out into the grassy hills where she'd never once set foot before. Her heart had jumped in her throat in both worry and excitement as her hand unconsciously tightened around his. "Where are you taking me? What if we get spotted?" It was a possibility. Guards were on alert for possible threats approaching from all angles. If they spotted the princess outside the walls _and_ with the visiting demon, she was certain heads would roll.

Zeldris had shrugged carelessly as he'd given her a sidelong look. "I've come out here every day for nearly a week. The guards have stopped paying attention to me." He didn't say more, so she'd decided to trust that he knew what he was doing and wouldn't deliberately drag her into her father's line of fire.

Then something new caught her attention, and she stared at the grass that came up and around her feet with each step, the texture of it as it brushed against the skin of her ankles was ticklish in a way she hadn't felt before. She must have giggled because Zeldris had slowed them to a stop and asked her in a quiet, unreadable tone, "What are you thinking?"

She'd looked up at him with wide eyes, her face flushed with life in a way it hadn't been in ages. "Well, I was only thinking about how nice this grass feels. It's cool and ticklish and the smell it gives off is refreshing." She closed her eyes and breathed with a tiny, happy smile, missing the somber expression that had crossed his face at her speech. "I don't think I've been around it in a very long time." Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and she turned in wonder at the massive tree sprouting from the ground but a few yards away. She went to it in pure curiosity and let her hands roam across the bark. _'_ _It's so rough! Not like stone, but harsher. Zeldris' hands are rough, but a soft kind of rough…'_

"Gelda."

She'd turned at the command. "Yes, Zeldris?" Gelda sucked in a sharp breath at Zeldris being right in front of her. He had dropped her hand the moment they'd stopped, unfortunately, but being able to talk with him longer than normal allowed her to brush the thought aside. The look in his eyes was intense and told her that whatever was going on in his mind was severe, and exceedingly crucial. She'd found herself unable to look away even as she'd found herself once again caught between her desires and a hard place.

"Why do you come out here every night, Gelda?"

Three times she blinked before her mouth stopped trying to form words from thin air. "Because of you, Zeldris." There was no simpler answer in her mind than that. She felt she would do anything because of him and she'd only known him for such a short time. She knew what she desired from him, but her heart was beginning to get greedy, demanding even more than what she hadn't even received to begin with.

"So you'd do anything to get what you want? Is that how it works for you?" he'd inquired in a gruff tone, never having wavered his stare from hers.

Her eyebrows lowered as her fingers scraped against the bark at her back, her anger churning like a rising inferno beneath her skin. The very thought that he would say such a thing… She had never once had anything she'd wanted. _Not once._ And for him to insinuate that she was low for wanting the one thing that's every stirred up any sense of good feeling in her body infuriated her like nothing else. "I know what I want."

His eyes had seemed to gain a gleam that made her feel as if he knew she was spewing hot air. "I bet you've never had a man who did much for you, am I right?" he pointed out bluntly as his hand came to rest against the side of her neck.

The shock of his touch clashed with the drop of her stomach at the recollection of her past lovers. His fingers were rough, yet warm and welcoming in her mind, burning like rising flames against her skin as a flush began to arise within her. It was unlike the grimy feel she'd felt before with her past lovers, if they could even be called such. This touch was not seeking instant gratification from her, this touch was not harsh, or uncaring, or cold and calculated. This touch made her feel secure. She'd felt heat rise to her cheeks as her words come through her bared teeth. She wished she could tell him, to lean into his touch, but she was afraid of appearing so vulnerable to him. "None of your business."

His chuckle was anything but humorous in its brief ascent through the cool air around them. "You may not notice, but I observe you as much as you watch me, Gelda. And just this little journey out here has proven one little fact. You lack experience."

She turned her eyes acutely to his as a hiss came to her lips. "That is not true! I have had plenty of lovers!" The irrational thought that he might lose interest in her because he believed her to be too innocent arouse in her mind, festering wildly, before she had beat it back with brutal force. Zeldris was not shallow, so why was she being this defensive?

His eyes had turned harsh like the torturous winds of a blizzard as a bitter smirk curled his lips. "Yeah and I bet they had their fun then rolled over and left you to your own devices, right?"

She gritted her teeth at the flaring of hurt that'd edged up along her neck in a painful crawl. They had used her like she was some hole to be filled with body parts that could be squeezed and pinched from time to time for _their_ pleasure. It always made her feel filthy and worthless how quickly they took her body only to leave her with dirty frustration afterwards. Shame was a weighty thing as it hung above her head at realizing he knew this much about her. She felt worthless, so worthless, _unworthy_ to even be in his presence now with this being known. "Why are you saying this?" she forced around her tightening throat, not understanding the vivid anger that continued to swim like troubling waves in his eyes.

His hand slid up her neck so that his fingers curled into her hair and his thumb rubbed along her cheek soothingly despite the mass of irritation she could feel from him. It was the most his composure had ever slipped and she couldn't understand the reasoning behind it. Whether it was at her, and the choices she had made, or the others and her father and the things they had done, she could not begin to guess. "They've never pleasured you. You've never been taken out. You've never been taken care of…"

Him pointing out her shortcomings caused her cheeks to flush as she spoke out boldly, "So what? Are you trying to say _you_ care?" She had to say it scathingly to disguise the hope that begins to bud in her chest against her will.

Those words had caused everything to clear from his eyes, leaving nothing but cool indifference in place as he smiled at her placatingly. "No."

Her face cringed at the definite answer, but a tiny part of her urged her not to succumb to it and to believe that he was wrong, that he was _lying._ She'd never seen him so frazzled before, but the moment she'd asked that question, he'd closed off; he was hiding something. Could it be the interest in her she'd been coveting for so long? Gelda did not dare to start to hope, not until she knew for sure what he was thinking. But she realized the more she learned about him, the less she understood.

His free hand moved almost sluggishly in her mind's eye to rest on her waist, warming her deeply and forcing her breath to quicken. "So you want me to take you to bed and show you what a real lover can do?"

Her knees had nearly come from beneath her she was so thrown. Images came unbidden to her mind of his body over hers, his skin bare and slicked with sweat as they move in frantic passion… Her throat had become dry and all she could manage to do was nod under the heat of his gaze.

Her breath came in a slow pull as his palm circled up in the direction of her chest, his fingers just barely skimming the bottom of each swell through the fabric of her dress. Her mind had only just caught the velvety drawl of his voice, just tinged with a hint of teasing to his words when he spoke. "You'll have to do something first, however…"

He grinned wickedly as his hand worked its way sensually down the ribs of her chest where his thumb began to circle against her waist, drawing out a soft mewl from her as her anger with him rapidly melted away. Her mind was turning to mush and his words were beginning to sluggishly penetrate her thoughts. His touch was mesmerizing, drawing her in and keeping her just where he wanted her and she couldn't get enough. Was it finally happening? Was he finally going to give her what she's dreamt of for so long? "What I want… is for you to belong to me."

"Belong to you?" The words had come out barely a whisper her breath having left her in her rising desire.

Zeldris nodded. "When I take you, it will be because it's what I want, not what you want. Because I command it, and you will give yourself to me because you will _want_ me to make you mine." Gelda's mind whirled at what all this could mean. "When you belong to me, the first thing I will do is see how long it takes until you break."

Her eyes blinked against the hungered haze that shrouded her mind as she'd questioned in a sluggish voice, "B-break…?"

He'd hummed deep in his throat sounding positively ravenous, triggering a needy throb to pulse between her legs as she shivered. "Yes… Until you're _begging_ for me to take you. And when I'm satisfied that you are truly ready, that you truly are mine, I'll take you in my hold and love you until you're nothing but a shuddering mess. Then afterwards, you can sink into my arms where I'll hold you tight and piece you back together again… Doesn't that sound appealing, _Gelda_?"

Her expression had twisted into one of anger as her eyes narrowed to slits. "I told you before, Zeldris, I'd be with you. What more could you possibly want from me?"

But he had only shook his head at her words, stirring her anger further as he sighed. "You don't understand yet, Gelda. In time you'll figure it out I'm sure, but for now..."

She had only stared into his self-satisfied gaze, pleading with him silently to continue, her mind truly a blank to anything but his touch, his smell, his presence… _"_ _Mmm…"_ she moaned dazedly as she leant into his hold and her eyes drifted closed. So when the sudden pressure of firm, warm lips pressed against hers, fire alighted at every nerve ending in her body and she'd all but melted against the unyielding form of Zeldris. She'd felt his hand at her waist smooth behind her to press at the small of her back so every inch of her frame was crushed against his as his lips meshed against hers.

Gelda felt as if she was floating in a wondrous dream from the way his teeth nipped and teased her lips until she was forced to open her mouth to let out a helpless moan. She'd never been _truly_ kissed before so the moist feeling of his tongue as it eased across the expanse of her lips made her sigh into his mouth as her hands twitched against his chest from the jolts of desire that ran through her. Zeldris chuckled deep in his throat before letting her feel his tongue dance against hers as he'd tasted her thoroughly… She absolutely _loved_ the feel of him doing this to her.

She made a pleading sound in the back of her throat when he'd pressed tightly against her and began to kiss her more passionately, more _roughly_ as her lips swelled and became sensitive to every press of his lips. Heat seared like roaring flames beneath her skin, pumping her blood faster which made the throbbing between her legs _unbearable_. She'd whimpered in pure desperation as her leg rose up to curl around his waist. Her modest dress had bunched around her hip to make contact so much more pleasurable when her arms had circle to cling around his shoulders, pulling them flush against each other as she tentatively grinded into him.

Zeldris had seemed to still against her as his lips eased into a barely there pressure. Then his fingers curled under her knee at his waist before they slid painstakingly slow towards her thigh. Gelda's entire body quivered in sheer delight as she whispered his name against his mouth. Their lips grazed like bursts of exquisite heat in her mind as she begged him to continue… But instead, he'd removed her leg and taken a step away from her, only keeping his hands on her waist as she'd opened hazy eyes to stare in disbelief.

His breathing was slightly off, but his eyes were completely collected, holding no trace of the overwhelming passion they'd just briefly shared when he smirked. "There's that power of yours again. You're like a little siren, calling out to me."

 _'_ _My power?'_ It took a considerable amount of deep breaths to even get close to coherent thinking after such an amazing kiss. But she'd felt it surging inside of her, her ability pouring into Zeldris. She must have unconsciously called upon it the moment she'd wrapped her leg around him. The ache still pulsed inside of her and she couldn't fight the pleading pout that came to her lips as she gazed at him.

"I assure you, Gelda, your call will be answered," he'd told her behind a knowing grin.

"—Zeldris."

Gelda's head snaps up as she's pulled out of her recollections at the name. Her eyes swivel around quickly. "What…?"

"I said are you excited for the bloodfest?" Orlondi repeats with excitement sparkling in his eyes at the prospect of their arriving meal coming any minute now.

Gelda's hopes sink at this, but she maintains a soft smile for the short vampire. "Yes, I am." Discreetly she looks towards her father who sits in the center of the room. His eyes are upon her, stony in their glare. She lowers her head in a demure appearance and prays that the guards come quickly.

She jumps slightly at the loud creaking of the entrance hall doors opening, casting the orange flickers from the torches in the corridor across the shiny marble in the dining hall. Two male guards walk to either side of the entrance to keep the doors open, then a horde of humans begin to amble in like cattle. They're curious as they glance around. They always are as they're given the same story every time they're brought here. That they've won a stay at an ancient castle, all expenses covered for an entire month. It's easy to get humans to fall for such a trick, but when they arrive their instincts begin to tell them something is off.

The guards close the doors with a thunderous bang, eliciting the initial rush of terror down their spines. Gelda's seen it time and time again to the point where witnessing children among the group doesn't even faze her anymore. But tonight she does not wish to view the crazed frenzy that will surely take place here. So setting her sights on two suitable males for her dinner this evening, she draws them out with an ease she wishes she could have with Zeldris and begins to lead them from the room.

The sound of rising screams fades behind her as she and the two tempted men of her chosen meal grow further away.

~.~.~

One already has their hands gripping her breasts lecherously while the other stands behind her attempting to undo the ties keeping her dress to her form as soon as she enters her bedchamber. Gelda's eyes flash furiously. Of course she knew charming her feast would most likely lead to wandering hands, but it's still incredibly irksome to the hungered vampire. So a bit of subduing must be in order.

She uses the sharp heel of her shoe to kick the knee of the one behind her with enough force to shatter it, disabling him so that she can take care of the male crudely assaulting her breasts. She then turns livid blue eyes to the tall shaggy haired male, too far into her spell to grasp the gravity of his fate. She pulls his neck down to her level ignoring the pleased sound he makes when he believes she's about to "take charge".

Her eyes flash again, this time in a feral sense at the scent of blood running just beneath his skin. And her thirst takes over. Something close to ecstasy runs through her like a powerful current when her little fangs bury themselves in his flesh giving her access to warm blood. He struggles against her, pushing and screaming at the pain of his life draining away, until finally he stills and she drops him like useless baggage. Gelda turns with vivid blue eyes ready to pin her other target down. He's on the floor clutching his knee in torture right where she left him. She chuckles lowly, baring tiny fangs at such an easy prospect.

It isn't long before he too is left lifeless on her stone floor. After a moment, she takes a breath to begin calming from the feral rush of feeding. When a knock sounds on her door she knows it's most likely her servants to collect the remains of her meal as they typically do when she chooses to dine in her chambers. Still resting on her knees near her last victim, she calls out for them to enter as the initial rush of adrenaline from her bloodlust begins to taper down.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Clarity forms in her mind as dread weighs heavily in her stomach, sapping all the color from her face. Zeldris stares at the bodies in obvious disgust even as he edges further into her room with a casual stroll. Gelda's hands tremble as they reach up to cover her mouth in her mortification. She _never_ wanted him to see her like this. "I didn't _know_ you were coming. I w-would have stayed down with the others had I known—"

"Gelda."

She sucks in a wobbly breath and holds it before letting it out slowly to try and quiet the hot flush of humiliation that had begun to build within her cheeks and sting at her eyes at being caught in such a feral state. ' _How could I be so careless? Now he'll be absolutely disgusted in me.'_ She berates herself rigidly in her mind a self loathing so hot inside her builds in a way she's never felt before. But then something begins to cut through it decisively. Holding all her focus as she listens to the steady firmness of Zeldris' tone as he stares at her from near her window. The seriousness in his gaze makes her feel more secure and less like the ground is about to crumble from beneath her. "Don't feel embarrassed about your needs, especially when it comes to your survival."

She lets the words sink in for a long moment then begins to pick herself of the ground as she nods. "Okay." _'_ _I should never have worried he would be repulsed of me.'_ She regards him with a soft expression. She knows he feels a distinct dislike for vampires, but never has he showed displeasure towards her. She simply thought the knowledge of what she'd done to these men would surely change that.

His eyes grow a delighted glint as he smirks. "Moreover, humans are cannon fodder. However they're eliminated really doesn't matter to me."

The tension in her stomach eases greatly at this and she gives a closed eyed smile of pure relief. More thumps sound on her door and this time she's certain it's her maids to pick up the men's bodies. Her eyes spring open in alarm when she realizes Zeldris' presence. His calm demeanor only makes her nerves race faster as she worries over what to do. " _Zeldris, they can't—"_

"Let them enter," he interrupts her with a determined nod.

She twists to face the door with furrowed brows before facing him once more uncertain. Only he isn't there anymore. She nearly stumbles in surprise, trying to figure out where he went when the knocks come on her door again. Her smile is slightly strained as she gives the order for her two helper maids to enter. They kindly smile at her in greeting, bowing in custom before they each take one male to drag from the room. The brunette pauses, though, to give her a questioning look which causes Gelda's skin to warm in nervousness.

"Would you like us to come back and help you retire for bed?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you." The breath she lets out as soon as the door closes behind them is utterly relieving.

"The damn rain interrupted my schedule for the evening," Zeldris states from behind her, as if he'd been standing there all along.

She spins to face him with her heart palpating in her sudden fluster. "Where did you go? And how did you go so fast?"

She's drawn to the way he seems to fill with pride as he speaks. "Speed and agility are required elements for demons of my class." With how close they're standing she's sure he can feel the thuds in her chest when he reaches to brush a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, sending her mind into a fuzzy sense of bliss and causing his confidence to swell. "I would easily have continued my routine without hindrance, but I knew you would not have shown up tonight and it's much more fun with you around."

Her stomach fills with nervous flutters as she gets lost in the dark depths of his eyes, shivering at the feel of his fingers teasing the skin at the back of her neck. "I'm sure you use that dedication in more ways than one…?"

He chuckles deeply and she shifts closer on instinct. "It's hard to break a habit, but for you I'm willing to make an exception."

She swallows shakily as her heart skips several beats. The power of his gaze renders her completely and utterly weak with emotions that twist and blend in a mix of electrifying tingles that race along her skin and fill her insides like an intoxicating warmth she can't be without. Her hand raises shakily, hoping to reach his shoulder and slide along his neck so she can pull him closer. But his hand catches hers and the pad of his thumb begins to run along the inside of her palm forcing a tiny sound of pleasure in her throat in the otherwise silent room filled with the raps of rain against her window. His eyes never once leave hers as his expression remains calm and level.

"You're cold," he points out in a low quiet tone. His hand at her neck smooths down the length of her arm where goosebumps have formed from her excitement. "I can light a fire, if you wish?" he adds when he finally takes his eyes from her and looks towards the fireplace across from her bed in the center left of her room.

Gelda sucks in a sharp breath and turns to look at it as well, only in annoyance as it took Zeldris' gaze away from her. "I can do it." She just wants it done quickly so that Zeldris won't have to think of her as "cold" any longer. She reaches inside of herself for the ball of pure inferno that travels like a roaring rush down her left arm and bursts forth from her palm in a blaze of oranges and yellows that seem to glow vividly in her eyes as they land upon the stock of wood in her fireplace. Fire catches easily and she lets out a tranquil breath at the ease in which it happens. She's practiced for years and years in the solitude of her room like a routine and seeing this success makes her smile softly.

But then she realizes she's _not_ alone and in her haste she may have just given away a secret that could be her demise. She nearly tenses at the idea until she decides that maybe she can still keep her power hidden if she acts as if it's normal. Gelda turns to face Zeldris with a relaxed expression, a question already spilling from her lips. "If you do not plan on training this evening, what is it you have in mind, Zeldris?"

He stares at her for a long moment, and even with her years of wearing the mask of an unaffected princess, she can't help but begin to squirm under his intimidating eyes. Then he steps towards her and places both of his hands on her shoulders, keeping her in place. Trapping her, in her mind. She tries not to widen her eyes in panic, but it's impossible with the unreadable expression that covers his face and the dead silence of the room only broken by the harsh taps against her window. _'_ _He won't hurt me. He won't hurt me…'_ she tries to tell herself repeatedly, but she can't be _sure_ which causes her eyes to well with frightened tears that _she will not shed_. Years of her father's mistreatment has dried up all the sorrow inside of her, so she will not cry over her own foolish mistake.

"I want to ask you some questions, Gelda. Pretending what you did didn't happen isn't going to make it go away. I was informed that you had no such ability to use at your disposal," he tells her in a tone as sharp as ice.

She feels her hands curl into fists at her sides so tightly tremors overtake them. "My power— I don't use it against people! I haven't! I've kept it a secret for as long as I've known about it! You have to believe me, Zeldris. _Please,_ " she whispers earnestly, her voice short of breaking with emotion.

His hands on her shoulders squeeze momentarily before he's pulling her to her bed and pressing her to sit. Then he sits beside her with a heavy sigh. "Tell me everything about it," he urges her.

She keeps her eyes down, staring at his hand beside her thigh as she tells him things she promised to never reveal to anyone. "I've always felt the fire near my heart, but it was never easy to channel, so my father assumed I had no power and felt I was weak. Useless. So when I was old enough he bestowed upon me my title. I'm of the thousand temptations. He thought at least with that I would serve a better purpose in his life." Her shoulders sag and her hands begin to tremble slightly in her lap. "When I was a young adult, I guess I still am, I was able to draw upon it for the first time."

"What made it possible?" Zeldris voices quietly and she can feel his gaze burning against the side of her face.

"Fear." She doesn't wish to speak any further on that as with her next breath she pushes onward. "After that, I began to train in secret. I wanted to be able to hone the inferno inside of me for... protection. To be able to defend myself, if necessary. No one else knows about my powers and if they did I would probably be killed as some kind of freak among freaks. Flames are highly dangerous to us. I can never let them know." She inhales deeply and finally turns pleading, watery blue eyes towards the demon who stares at her hard eyes. "You mustn't tell anyone."

"I never had any intentions of telling anyone, Gelda. I just needed all the facts to be sure I wasn't being misled."

She doesn't dare to hope he's telling the truth. But the sound of his voice is simply so sincere… "But you seemed so distrustful of me before."

He gives her a wry smirk. "Would you believe you caught me off guard?"

She blinks in confusion wondering what that has to do with anything and then… she considers. She's never been able to do it before, something she's absolutely strived to achieve just to see the outcome. It's actually not a welcoming scenario. But why is that exactly? She gasps as stares at him with wide eyes, and rising like her sense of relief, a smile of mirth begins to form on her face, dampening his mood further. "You don't like it when things aren't in your control! You _are_ a perfectionist!" She giggles at having gotten an aspect of his personality correct.

A growl of warning is all she receives.

Her world tips backwards rapidly when Zeldris pulls her beneath him in his effort to capture her lips in an act of revenge. He kisses her insatiably, stealing her breath away with the way he devours her mouth slowly, thoroughly, with deep salacious kisses. She's not given the choice of gripping his hair as she so desires to as his hands have collected hers and pressed them beside her head into the mattress beneath them. She can only sink into the burning way her stomach begins to coil as he presses into her with more fervor. His breathing turns harsher with every sensual twist of their heads and his need becomes more apparent with every rejoining of their lips.

Her every moan of passion and sighs of bliss is muffled by his mouth until she feels Zeldris slide deliberately between her legs and grind slowly against the throb that pulses there. She presses her head back, breaking the kiss only for his lips to trail hotly along her jaw as a low moan settles in the back of her throat whilst she arches into him. " _Zeldris!"_

He moves his mouth to her ear and she shudders at the sound of his rough breaths and husky tone, "You're right. I do like control and I'll make certain you learn that _very_ quickly."

She can't form a response as her body's still wound from the spikes of pleasure Zeldris instilled in her. So she's only partly self-conscious when he begins to slip off her heels and untie the lace keeping her dress in place, leaving her in only her a slip, as he places her under her covers. By then the sharp pulses of desire have worn off so her mind's clearer when she feels his lips against hers one last time and then the loud sound of her chamber door shutting. Warm feelings of wonder assault her as she drifts into slumber.

Zeldris is unpredictable. She can only hope to guess what he could have in mind for her. But what she does know is that they're getting closer and surprisingly that's starting to become more important in her mind than him taking her in bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**~3~**

Weeks seem to fly by without much notice to the princess as she lives in as close to a fairy tale as her life can ever relate to. Her father hasn't asked her to use her ability once since Zeldris arrived. Instead of conquering large kingdoms through trickery and deceit, he's sent small portions of his army over the lands of Britannia to siege villages. It's a riskier move as anyone can easily catch on to the rising number of vampires spreading, but so far the results have been favorable, filling the King with a wicked sort of pride that gleams cruelly in his eyes every time Gelda has the misfortune of meeting his gaze. But, in contrast to the swelling terror of her father's presence, she's been able to use his distraction surrounding the growing number of vampires he has to manage and the looming war on the horizon, to hide her budding love affair with Zeldris.

Gelda sighs softly under the swaying branches of the looming tree she's becoming familiar with in the past weeks, the ever increasing closeness she and Zeldris have begun to share begins pulling her focus under engulfing waves of heat.

Just three weeks since Zeldris had arrived and he'd already pulled her into several slow, searing, mind melting kisses in just about every corner of the castle. He always liked to catch her off guard, not that she minded when his rough hands would begin to slide along her exposed skin lighting her aflame, then stoking the fire as his mouth began to trail up and down her neck in rough caresses. His eyes are always so dark then, sucking her in, making her feel as if she's trapped in a world of exhilarating fire that will never, _ever_ , burn out, until he shows her what freedom is. Until he _gives_ her true rapture.

Even if his hands don't go any further than cupping and squeezing her breasts through her clothes at an agonizingly torturous pace or gripping her rear with a hunger that leaves her boneless, she always dissolves into a pleading whimpering puddle of pliable flesh that strokes his ego to heights that shouldn't be possible. And it never fails to somehow call attention to guards that weren't around or scurrying servants. She learned to never worry though with how quick Zeldris is to respond by pulling her to his chest and disappearing from the area, streaking through halls, and secret avenues he shouldn't even know of. She just knows deep down, he loves the thrill of rendering her to such a shuddering state by his hands alone, by his power and control, in the possible view of others.

She absolutely loves it, too.

As time goes by, in between the insatiable kisses, Gelda learned that Zeldris enjoyed taking her out to the field where he trains. It's not that she understood it from his expression or heard it from his words for the most part, it's really his actions that she truly grasps that he wants her out there with him. Zeldris isn't one on physical contact in a romantic sort of sense. She finds that his touches are always for a reason. Even this knowledge she's still trying to grasp completely. Every time she tries to take his hand or go into his arms when her heart begins to beat too wildly with her growing affection for the demon, he'd stop her advances with a simple smirk and a caress against her palms or cheek if she's being particularly pouty. She discerns his wish for a certain amount of distance has to do with his strict sense of control and what them being so close, all the time if she had any say in the matter, would do to that barrier of his.

But out in the open fields after he'd kiss and touch her until she resembles a panting, desiring temptress, he'd hold her as they lay in the grass, the world around them silent as she begins to calm. And with his head resting on her stomach, he'd sometimes begin to talk about his explorations in the world. The things he's seen, the places he's been while his hand fiddles with hers, curling around it and sometimes twining them. Those moments are most precious to her because in her heart of hearts she _knows_ he's sharing with her his memories, bits of his life, because he wants her to be there with him, too. He wants her to be apart of his world. But she also _can't_ let herself believe it because he'll leave eventually, she's more than aware of this. And when that happens, she won't be with him. Her life will spiral back to its bleak monotony with only memories of what it feels like for her heart to beat for one purpose. Even if that purpose is no longer around.

Her mind jolts back to the present at the familiar sense of two rough palms grasping hers in a firm hold. Her blue eyes lock onto the youthful features of Zeldris that are hardened with the cool tones of concern as he gazes at her through lowered eyebrows. "Are you alright?"

His voice is low and brusque entirely contrast to the way he kneels in front of her, eyes keen on every minuscule detail she displays. Her eyes flutter momentarily in realizing that her expression had turned downcast in remembering the disheartening fact that he'll leave her one day. ' _He'll leave me…'_ But she pushes it down as her expression softens considerably at the way his hands unconsciously squeeze hers as he no doubt attempts to figure out what's going through her mind in that calculating way of his. "I'm fine, Zeldris. Just… tired." She goes with that because it's somewhat true and she doesn't want him to worry, even though he'd never admit it.

He tells her he wishes to bend her to his will, to shatter her so that what's left of her will be his to piece together in whatever way he wishes. But even with such a dark prospect he likes to paint out for her, she greatly believes that he'd never let anything happen to her while he's around to stop it. In some way, he cares. Although with such vastly differing actions she sometimes doesn't know what to believe. It was just another part of him that she was desperate to understand.

Zeldris nods curtly in response to her answer, then his hands sweep around her causing her to yelp, startled, when he shifts her into a lying position with virtually no effort on his features. "Then rest while I train, Gelda." She barely has time to suck in a breath of protest before he's over her, pressing his lips to hers in a way that quiets every single thought in her mind to nothing but the weight of him, the warmth he possesses, and the way her heart bumps against her chest, ardor swelling from it like a velvety embrace. He pulls away from her slowly, letting her regain her breath when she looks up at him with a tender gaze. Zeldris smirks and she feels her heart thump helplessly in response.

When he leaves her to sleep saying he'll wake her when he's finished, she doesn't think she'll actually be able to drift off so easily, not with thoughts of the raven haired demon so heavy on her mind. No sooner does the thought cross her mind when she finds her breath evening out, her eyelids growing heavier and blocking the view of the sky peeking through the leaves above her. All it takes is the calming presence of Zeldris' energy flowing all around her to push her gently into the darkness of slumber.

~.~.~

His instincts tell him to train diligently and keep sharp. Being stuck in this place full of beings who rightfully steer clear of him and can't even step out in the light of day won't help him maintain his prowess in anyway. His task here is to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity as these vampires, or more specifically King Izraf, is not one to be trusted. And he's done just that. His ears are open to anything treacherous and his eyes look for the tell-tale signs in every meeting he attends with the vampire King. It's easy to see that with the increase in the number of vampires, Izraf is growing foolishly supercilious. Zeldris can sense it like a foundation crumbling at its base, Izraf does not plan to stay true to their agreement.

Gelda remains oblivious to it all.

Zeldris sheaths his sword with a practiced ease, the motion a silent declaration to the end of his routine. He turns his steady gaze to her, curled asleep under the tree, admiring how her porcelain skin seems to glow beneath the shine of the moon, and he lets out a heavy sigh. He'll have to take a report back to the General of the demon army and leader of the Ten Commandments soon. Of course his brother won't be happy about this development, not that anything's concrete at the moment, but Zeldris is hardly ever wrong about these things.

Striding in Gelda's direction, poised in his posture, Zeldris comes to sit beside her in the comfortable silence of the evening. His eyes glue to her figure, sweeping down the perfect swell of her breasts, the dip in her waist where her soft belly rests in between, to the flaring of her hips and the creamy skin of her thighs where her dress pulled up in her sleep to expose. Then his eyes land on her face soft in sleep, simply mesmerizing to his usually impassive soul. She's absolutely breathtaking with plump cerise lips, wide yet narrow eyes, and a small round nose… And when she smiles in pure happiness at him, she sometimes forces coherent thoughts from his mind, not that she'd ever realize it. Not even the tiny fangs that peek out over her lips repels him in the slightest. She draws him in, a beast to his succulent chosen prey, and it has nothing to do with the title she was cursed with.

He's watched her with the rapt attention of a demon overcome by his possessive nature, so he knows for a fact that she, although wary of her father's malicious nature, has no clue of what it'll lead to. She's turned to him at every chance she can get and he hasn't exactly turned her away. In fact, he's gone after her with a relentless desire that's consuming to his mind, flaming to his soul. It's almost ridiculous how he can't stay away from her, but he knows why that is. He's known it since the night he laid eyes on her, the life of Edinburgh.

She's been buried, crushed, and pulverized by the cruelty and darkness of this place, of her own _father_. Such a beautiful creature as she locked away and forced to seduce men at her father's command. Zeldris' eyes turn harsh with the hellish blaze that begins to fill him up and sear at the back of his skull in an erratic pulse. He takes Gelda's limp hand next to his side and curls his around it as he works to regain control of his fury. It's so stupid, so very damn stupid, the emotions that have slithered inside him and polluted his system faster than any lethal plague known to Britannia. And it's all because of this vampire, this princess he wishes to possess, to snatch away from this hell to become his… everything.

He's known since the moment he laid eyes on her that she would be broken, just as much as he, but he also knew that a creature such as she who despite having gone through so much still held so much ginger innocence in her spirit, unlike he a cold hearted murderer, would be his new goal. He'll fix her… they'll fix each other. Gelda will be his purpose in life. If it comes down to eliminating the vampires, he'll keep her safe with him. He'll find a way.

He stares down at her with an unreadable expression as he goes over what he's thought probably a million times by now… What his brother, Meliodas, would think of him now if he discovered Zeldris was touched by the cursed hand of emotions? It could be detrimental or it can blow over like a storm. Zeldris has a feeling it won't be all that bad if he brought back Gelda. He's seen a glimmer of something in his brother's eyes before Zeldris came here to Edinburgh for this assignment. He has a feeling he won't be the only one going insane because some woman stole their way into his life.

Zeldris slides down to lie beside the slumbering vampire, moving his head to rest on her stomach as his hand slides tentatively along her thigh. _'_ _So this is what it feels like… to be in love.'_

~.~.~

A name is burning in her throat erupting from her mouth like a hellish screech when she jolts awake by the force of concerned hands. They grip and squeeze the top of her arms as she struggles to breathe against the rawness of her throat. Her eyes are wide and unseeing. The explosions, the flashing, the heart ripping _fear,_ still play in her mind like a twisted sort of torture. Then a voice is penetrating it all, pushing past the hysteria. Making her see the world again, feel the cool air, the fresh smells, and the dark power. _Zeldris._

"Gelda! Snap out of it, damn it!"

She sucks in deep lung filling air before turning her eyes to stare wide eyed at Zeldris. Her heart still beats profoundly in her chest, humming in her ears when she takes in the hard edge of Zeldris' gaze. His jaw is so taut she almost thinks she can just hear the protesting of his teeth over her heart's frantic thumps. His hands have yet to release her and as her senses still come back to her, she realizes she's pulled rather close to him, almost flush, chest to chest. She can actually feel his breath brushing across her face with each expanse of his chest against hers.

It's calming.

"What's wrong?" The words fall softly past her lips as her fingers twitch, her hands being on his lower belly.

His eyes narrow just the slightest and she fights back a gasp when she feels his chest vibrate with the soft growl of annoyance he gives. "What's wrong? You were screaming bloody murder in your sleep, Gelda."

Now she blinks unsurely. "I was…?"

He moves slightly away from her as his fingers ease up on their grip around her arms. The power and strength he provides over her gradually begins to diminish with the lack of his touch much to her disappointment. "Yes. You kept screaming. One thing actually."

He won't look at her now. His form is just a few inches away and yet he feels as if he's in another realm. Her brows furrow as her heart begins to clench tremendously. "What…?"

He's cold, stiff, completely in check as he sits rigid beside her staring out into the stretching hills with grass that rolls with the passing breeze. "My name."

She opens her mouth then closes it uncertain of how to respond. She's had those odd dreams for so long now she doesn't even give them much thought anymore, but having Zeldris around for one has never crossed her mind. "I have dreams like that… of you quite often."

"Am I hurting you?"

It's said so plainly, without an iota of concern. But she's been around him so long now that she can tell just from the tenseness in his shoulder blades that his voice is just a cover. That his mask of collectedness as he doesn't spare her so much as a passing glance is just for show. He's… upset. "No… I don't know much of what happens in the dreams. I just have this strong sense of terror. Terror for you."

She lets her eyes drift downward and barely catches the sight of his hands curling with undefined tension.

"For me, you say?" It's rhetorical. So she simply keeps her head down as her hands go to the skirt of her dress which rests rather high up her thighs. She trails her hand to his still curled beside him and grasps it without much thought. She keeps her eyes on his fist as she works her fingers underneath his, uncurling his fingers until they're smoothed out and relaxed. Then taking in a deep breath she looks at him from beneath her eyelashes as she takes his hand and glides it along the inside of her thigh unhurried in her motions.

He does not resist.

She feels pleased with herself for daring to even make such a move. His lack of resistance merely spurs her on. Her hand tightens around his with plans already forming in her mind. However, her vision fuzzes slightly before she can form her next thought. The sensation of a firm hot mouth slanting over hers so sudden sends her mind into numbing kind of shock. Then it falls into melted bliss as her throat hums with a pleased moan while her eyes fall shut. His lips part from hers for only a breath of a second but she manages to moan out an answering, " _Yes."_ Yes for his answer, yes for his kiss, yes for his touch, yes for any and every thing he does for her. And then his lips are on hers, attacking them with an aggression that plunges her into a pool of molten lava, heat flashes under her skin so quickly.

His mouth is forceful, biting her lips swollen when she tries to press back just as fiercely as if in punishment. And when she whimpers, soft and small in the back of her throat at the twisted surge of pleasure his sharp nips cause her, his lips seem to slow in languid motions that daze her thoughts and draws forth long moans from her. Zeldris takes her at his own pace regardless, pulling her lower lip into his mouth slowly, again and again just to tease her when he chuckles dark and smooth, deep in his chest. Oh, it feels heavenly letting him kiss her like this, his tongue delving into her spread lips as he tastes her and his flavor becomes hers to cherish at his passionate exploration.

She feels lightheaded as he breathes into her, his breath like fire as it coils down her throat. The intimacy of the sensation rushes down her spine and flares low in her stomach as she squirms, arching into him heatedly. Zeldris' arms smooth around her back, pulling her torso against his so that not even air can squeeze between them as his lips gradually part from hers only to rush back in unhurried kisses that she meets halfway each time. Her finger slide down his back fleetingly, her own way of teasing him when his kisses leave her hot for more, much more. But he only pulls back a hairs breadth and laughs lowly at her antics, urging her eyes open.

She can't find the strength to swallow at the utter carnality that darkens his eyes to bottomless pools of dark possession… _for her._

"Lay down." Two words. An order he gives in a voice coarse with a gravely tinge that leaves her weak with need.

She obeys, pressing her back into the springy grass when his hands release her. Short, little breaths leave her parted lips, her hands having fallen to beside her head to curl anxiously as she gazes up at the way he appraises her with a critical eye. His eyes roam up her form like dry flames, licking against her flesh and leaving her tingly with want. Sensitive to the feeble breeze that passes, she shivers.

 _"_ _Zeldris…_ " Gelda whines on the verge of desperation as her legs spread enticingly for him, her dress riding up even further as a result. But she doesn't care if he sees what's beneath it, or the lack of what lies under it. She just needs this to be the moment he finally gives her what she needs.

She watches through lust darkened eyes the way his mouth curls up crookedly and his eyes trail down slowly to her parted thighs, her core just short of just being on display for him. When he reaches for her, a tiny cry of joy bursts from her lips, only to turn into a small pout when his heavy palms go instead to her chest. His hands are persuasive in their motions however, and it doesn't take long for her to fill his hands demandingly as her breaths hitch increasingly faster, her face twisting in the perfect image of want.

"Patience, Gelda," Zeldris tells her in a raspy tone as he watches her from his place between her legs, his body leaning over hers like an intrigued predator, just waiting for the right moment… He gives her nipples, hardened from arousal, and sensitive as they rub against the material of her dress, teasing squeezes and tugs that causes her to choke on long cries. "And you might be rewarded."

She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth flirtatiously as her cheeks flare continuously brighter at their unyielding eye hold. Then he gives her breasts a good knead and her head flops back exposing the length of her neck as her back bends and her hands rotate to tug at strands of grass. She just barely hears his fierce growl as it starts like a low hum, then builds into a full blown feral sound of delight. Her eyelids peel open to slits, the sound having kindled _just right_ in her body, her core quenching in slick desire when she spreads herself wide for him.

Zeldris' hands are controlled and precise in the way they hone in on each ornate button that lines the front of her dress, keeping it closed. "I don't want you to move, Gelda," He demands of her as his hands work along her dress. She shivers and nods at the seriousness of his tone.

Each button is opened then promptly forgotten as he parts her dress, forcing her heart to swell, soar, explode, any and everything as the moment she's been dreaming of finally draws near. She wants so badly to touch him, to draw him in her arms as she kisses him and wraps around him while he sinks into her like the lost piece to her soul, but she waits patiently for him as she knows she should. _Patience_ is key here and no matter how hot her skin feels dying for his touch, or how wet her core drenches her thighs as Zeldris takes in her bare form, she will wait for him to make the first move.

And he does, with muscles strained along his neck and arms as the only signs of his sheer strength in holding back. He slips the fitted coat off his torso as if it was trying to strangle him. Then when his chest is free for her to ogle she gives him a pleased little moan, her hips rolling up towards him, begging, just before she kicks the boots off her feet, wanting to be entirely free for him. The look he gives her is harsh in its reprimand, and she instantly feels chills race over her skin. Gelda fights back the pleading pout that comes to her lips, still wishing for the ability to pull him against her.

Zeldris doesn't answer her silent pleas, moving forward on his own accord as first one palm slides from her knee on it's way up then the other. They both glide in too light touches that burn into her mind like bright trails meant to buzz her nerves and dull her thoughts to the slow touch of passion's blaze. And they do as his hands reach the insides of her thighs, she finds herself sighing soft, pleased noises as her eyes become slitted in their gaze.

" _Zeldris… mmm…"_

His rough palms swirl to the outside of her thighs and to her hips where his fingers dig into her flesh in such a way the pads of her feet brace against the cool grass and she bucks. Or she tries to- if not for his hold on her. The mirthful smirk he gives her just pushes her to hiss in a strange mix of displeasure and adoration. He moves so quickly after that, she can only breath out a silent scream. She can feel the burning desperation inside herself, the consuming desire to just forget his wish for her not to move, but she struggles against it, keeping her hands to her sides where they fist in the grass.

His palms easily cup her ample sized chest as he dips his head down to their smooshed together position, his mouth already suckling a hardened nipple as the other hand keeps the other busy and well attended to, before he switches. His thumb going to circle the wet nipple exposed to the cool air of the night as she squeals between her shuddering breaths. Her hands gain minds of their own as they slip between the sleek strands of Zeldris' hair as he begins to nibble the sensitive areole in a way she can't _take_. She feels him stiffen just the slightest beneath her touch, but she barely gives it much thought.

She sees stars and flashes of tinkling light in her squinted vision as her jaw remains slack for the sinfully loud sounds she emits. She's never felt anything like the way he's kissing, sucking, biting, and gripping her breasts. And she never wants it to stop. Can it get better…?

 _"_ _Zel… Zeldris, it's good. It f-feels good,"_ she breathes out in a voice twisted and nearly broken from bliss.

Her body reacts to the way he sucks persistently against the side of one of her breasts, her legs moving up to wrap around his waist as she coils around him tightly, the need to move so great, she simply can't take it anymore. And then she _moves._ Her core grinds in slow, slick rolls against his lower stomach and she practically begins to shed tears as she cries out brokenly, it feels so good.

The demon proves that he is not one to be caught in a trap.

Zeldris breaks her hold as he pulls back from the mark he left against her breast, her hands being forced to slip from their tight grip in his hair as she whimpers in protest.

"P-please!" The look of harsh reprimand that lines his eyes makes her lips tremble. Had she done it? Had she caused him to turn her away again because she could be patient enough?

The tell-tale sign of his chest expanding then contracting in and exhale is nearly missed, but the way he leans over her, capturing her lips in a kiss that jolts her body with enough heat to have her forcibly shiver from it is anything but. When he pulls back, his breath his hot and moist, short and quick against her mouth. "Didn't I tell you to wait, damn it?" It's dark and low and promising a bit of punishment, even as she feels one of his fingers begin to trail in a distinct path that's sharp in her mind. Every twist and turn, until she quivers as it reaches her lower stomach and she has to bite her lip when one begins to glide along her moist folds tantalizingly.

His gaze is serious despite the raw need hidden behind the thin sheet of frosty control he lives by as he watches her every reaction. She tries to stay focused on those glorious pools of darkness but her vision begins to blur the instant his fingers part her cleft and begins to give her the friction she's been pleading for. He's slow in his touches, letting her feel every pulse of lava pumped into her veins in a way that feels almost overwhelming. She doesn't notice her eyes fall shut or the way her lips part to form a small circle so that Zeldris is forced to hear his own personal brand of sin's best melody.

She also fails to see him slip down her body as his fingers continue to tease her up the cliff for which he'll gladly send her over into the waiting arms of an ecstasy she's never before encountered. The warm puff of moist breath causes her to twitch, then another and another until her eyes peek open from the bright flares her body experienced with every jerk of his wrist. It's only a split second she has to meet Zeldris' gaze full of mischief before his fingers disappear to be replaced by a hot volcano.

Her throat clenches around a tiny scream as she spasms, her hips not knowing what to do with the unexpected rise in pleasurable sensation. Zeldris seems to know however, as he gathers her thighs, places them over his shoulders and wraps his arms around them to keep her right in place as he gives her sex open mouthed kisses. He's almost enthusiastic as he works over her flushed, swollen lips, and dripping core. Gelda shakily pushes herself up on to her elbows as she's forced to experience something she'd more than willingly go through again and again.

Her chest rapidly bobs with her rapid pants and her hair having come undone from its twist falls like a pale waterfall behind her back, and sweat gleams along her flushed skin all from the way his mouth feels. Zeldris' tongue slips between her folds and his lips suck around the bundle of nerves that causes her toes to curl and her hips to rock into the pressure of his flicking tongue. She can't handle this. She wants it, but she _can't handle it._ Her senses are all going to hell and back, shortening her breath and causing her heart to imitate the rapid fluttering of a humming bird's wings.

"Z-Zeldris it's too-" She tries to say when he begins to hum gently against her clit pulsating with the beats of her heart and the vampire feels a particular sensation build so quickly inside her that she has absolutely no control over she nearly gets scared.

It's heavenly, so amazingly blissful as it rushes to try and greet her, tightening her stomach and thighs and core as her toes curl, but she can't fight it. Is it supposed to make her throat tight with constant high pitched noises she can't understand? Is she supposed to lose all sense in her mind as she uncontrollably moves to Zeldris' motions? Her body is so hot, close to bursting into flames as her core begins to convulse and she all but screams as a height of emotion she's never dreamed of touching before rushes forth and snatches her vision away momentarily as all she sees is what she can only describe as the splashes of bright flaring colors.

She can't understand her words as she cries, her eyes gaining little tears at their corners as Zeldris places his lips against her twitching core, flicking his tongue inside her as she rides out her first orgasm. _'_ _Goodgoodgood, so damn good,'_ Her mind chants, from the force that constantly slams into her over and over until she's sure her heart will stop from the euphoria. Then it all crests with a long pulse through her core and finally begins to roll down a calming hill. Her spasms start to lessen and his mouth moves up her mound, kissing gently along the way until her removes her legs from his shoulders and she flops back to the grass sucking air into her protesting lungs. Her limbs feel jittery and heavy for some reason as she stares dazedly at nothing in particular, just letting her mind go over the amazing feeling she just experienced. _'_ _Is that how it's supposed to feel? It was so unstoppable. And it felt simply amazing…'_

A warm rough palm rubs along her thigh almost soothingly before his voice reaches her ears in a quiet tone. "Were you frightened?"

She feels her cheeks flush an even darker red than they already are, but she keeps her voice steady in her answer as she continues to breathe deeply. "I don't know. It just came so quickly. I didn't know what to do…"

It's silent and she basks in the cool way the wind caresses her skin as she tries to calm down. Then she receives her response in the way of insight. "Just relax. I'll always make sure it feels good."

She blinks several times before turning her weary gaze down to Zeldris who somehow manages to cause her throat to dry, her heart to stop, and want to coil like an unrelenting flame in her belly all at the same time just from the image he presents between her legs.

His smirk is salacious as he gazes at her shocked yet wanton gaze. "I deserve a bit of relief, too, don't I?"

She manages a few nods as she gazes at his exposed length flushed hotly at the head and rigid in its curve. She's never felt so aroused then she does in staring at him bare before her. She suddenly finds it a lot harder to breathe as her hands grip the grass and she subconsciously spreads her legs for him to have at her as much as he wants. She _wants_ him. Heavens above she wants this demon so badly she's nearly close to pouncing.

He laughs lightly, it comes out sounding as light as air as his teeth gleam in his grin. He captures her focus by the hold he takes on her chin, his body coming to lean over hears and she _feels him_. Him hot and heavy as he rests against her folds, soft and moist, and pulsating with a desire that practically aches.

Gelda brings her gaze to his, her lips plump from the attentions he gave them before part softly so she can dare to ask, "Are we going to-"

He shushes her, his eyes turning dark as they slip closed and his mouth slants over hers for a long moment. Her hands lift up and fall over his shoulders, loving the power that burns underneath his flesh as he presses atop of her. Then he's pulling away and telling her in a low throaty tone, "Soon, Gelda, soon…"

"Soon…?" Her body is just as confused as she when she twists her hips up to roll her slickness against him, the breath leaving her in a soft huff as she does so.

Then she sees it. The wicked grin he wears and the way his palm comes to grip her hip causes her to remember as he says again, "Yes, _soon_."

That's when he begins to shift against her, grinding his length between her folds so that every upward thrust causes the head to hit her bundle of nerves in an exquisite way that has her back curving into beautiful arcs each time. He keeps his face on her the entire time, his breath coming out in harsh breaths as he grinds their hips together in a comfortable pace. Her torso twists fitfully as she makes helpless noises of delight from the way it feels. But there's also a strong feeling of upset that burns in her chest, too.

This is her punishment.

He's letting her feel what it's like for him to be above her, his firm chest brushing against her hardened nipples, his body between her legs jerking just the way she'd hoped, and his face right above hers as his eyes bore into her with an acuteness that has steam rising off her flushed cheeks. The hard length slicked in both their juices roasts her sensitive body in the most divine form of bliss a person can encounter with another, but it's torture having him so close to her yearning core desperate to be filled.

Gelda chokes on a squeal when Zeldris stills her hips and moves his length, pressing the tip just inside her before moving back out just to bring her that much closer to her edge and the verge of hysteria only being taunted so viciously can do to a person.

Her fingers at his shoulder begin to dig, breaking skin as she hisses at the third, fourth, tenth, twentieth time he does this to her before he goes back to prodding her clit that's so swollen from her need she feels that rush begin to head to her before she can even blink.

 _"_ _Damn it, Zeldris,"_ she curses as he jerks quickly against her not giving her a chance to fill her lungs before she falls.

He chuckles softly against her ear as he leans over her, thrusting jerkily himself as she moans and writhes against him. The white hot flare that spreads outward from her core like an explosion overtakes her senses entirely. She listens through her low moans as Zeldris begins to grunt roughly in her ears, the heat of his length suddenly become much more prominent to her sensitive folds. And then he's releasing. Thick gushes spill along their stomachs as he groans her name long and hard. The feel of it as it lands along the skin of her stomach and between her legs causes a wild shiver to run through her.

He's panting just as hard as she when the hot splashes of liquid finally stop, but he doesn't sink on top of her. He manages to drag himself back bracing his hands against the inside of her thighs as he gazes at her with dark, pleased eyes.

She's entirely pissed with him, even if he did satisfy her in ways she'll probably dream about for days on end. Teasing her in such a way. She needs to get him back somehow.

His eyes graze along her form splattered in milky white release with appreciation as the gratification he feels rolls off him in waves. "You enjoy yourself, Gelda? From those screams, I'd say I did my job well…"

Something sears in the back of her mind for a second before she manages a smirk, although a tired one, as her finger trails in a suggestive way along her stomach, dragging in some of his release that pooled there before bringing it to her mouth. Her finger slips into her mouth where she tastes him, not necessarily in over exaggeration as she closes her eyes briefly while moaning. She opens her eyes to gaze at the flash of pure want that consumes Zeldris' entire gaze before she speaks in a low sultry tone, "About as much as you did if your personal art along my body is anything to go by. You taste so delicious by the way, _Zeldris…"_

She watches as his jaw tenses and his muscles flex with an entirely raised eyebrow. _'_ _Payback is fun…'_

She expects him to take her bait and give them what they both want, but instead he reins himself in, turning away from her to gather his clothes. It's a disappointing sight, but the feeling of taking him by surprise was a good one nonetheless.


	4. Chapter 4

**~4~**

It had been just a week, maybe two, since Zeldris had pleasured her outside in the fields in the dead of night. Gelda was different in that time. She had felt different. Her walk was lighter. Her aura was brighter. And every bad thing just seemed to go right through her as if she wasn't even aware of its presence. She hadn't even noticed her own change and the simple fact that she was happy because she'd gotten just that little bit closer to the person who centered every thought in her mind lately.

She was still sneaking out to see Zeldris practice at night where things had begun to take a different turn in their activities. The first night things had changed she had just finished her descent over the wall and her feet hadn't even hit the ground before she had felt arms encircle her waist. For a moment she had panicked, thinking it was a guard that had somehow caught on to her endeavors. But then she'd heard the deliciously low chuckle sound in her ear which had instantly set her heart ablaze in the affection she holds for him.

Zeldris hadn't set her down, choosing to carry her where he wished them to go. She hadn't a care for where he was taking her, as her head began to rush with heady thoughts at being surrounded by his strength and filled with his intoxicating scent. But she couldn't let him know how easily affected she was by just being embraced by him, feeling he'd tease her with such knowledge. So she had forced her mouth to open and words to come forth from her thoughts. "What are we doing?"

He had come to a stop, his chest expanding as he took a long dramatic breath. "We, Gelda, are going to see how well you are with those flames of yours." The amused gleam in his eyes hadn't hid the burning seriousness that tinged the darkness of his unflinching look.

She had practically slipped out of his arms, stumbling to remain steady as her head begin to whirl at his words. "W-what? _Why?_ "

The huff of exasperation he had made caused her to puff out her cheeks in annoyance. He had the nerve to act as if she was missing the bigger picture! As if it was so damn obvious! "I won't be with you every second of everyday. I need to know for sure that you can take care of yourself."

That had stunned her into silence with the only sound being the soft wind of the coming fall season. _'_ _What does that even mean? What could he be implying? Does he mean to be my protector or perhaps… even more? Is he just saying this to get to my head?'_ She had thought as her stare had become blank with the crashing conflicts occurring in the depths of her mind.

A rough finger had slipped under her chin and lifted her face up gently just as a swift kiss was stolen from her. She had shuddered, her breath leaving in a soft gasp as her eyes fluttered open to stare into Zeldris' smirking visage.

"Show me those flames of yours, vampire."

Zeldris had been a strict yet tentative instructor, making sure she could draw them out at his command, wield her inferno for various amounts of times—she swore it changed upon his mood, but he made sure to never strain her—and even convinced her to attack him. Although that was the hardest part. The idea of hurting him in any way was terrifying in her mind, but he proved to be rather resilient and whatever blasts she had managed to land on him hadn't seemed to faze him much. But he assured her that her attacks were quite powerful.

He hadn't let up in her training until she proved to be proficient in her handling of her magic in his eyes. She had stood before him one evening, her hands at her side as her flames rose up, licking against her arms and flowing around her in twining twists as her hair whipped around her face wildly. She had stared him down her expression stone serious as the torrent of magic ran rampant throughout her unhindered. And Zeldris had stared right back, holding her expression with an unreadable look of his own as he evaluated her for the longest of moments.

She hadn't seen him move in quick strides to reach her when something had snapped in his mind. But she had felt the urgent way his arms had wrapped around her waist pulling her snuggly against him, uncaring of her flames as they flared out uncontrollably around them for several seconds as he had kissed her aggressively, with a passion hotter than the inferno around them. Then as she sank into him, letting him grip the back of her hair undone in the strength of her magic as his other hand grasped her rear fiercely and held her against his grinding hips, the strain of his need clear in her dazed mind, her power had fizzled out, fading into glowing embers that floated down like fireflies in the night.

She hadn't understood what had excited him so much that night. And she'd probably never guess it was simply the image of her figure lit up gloriously as she commanded her power without an ounce of fear.

Just remembering his kiss then only causes other memories to resurface of those couple of weeks. The things they did when he wasn't training her. She recalls the first evening she had planned to go see Zeldris as usual when a knock came at her door. She was greatly chagrined and almost heavy with dread that something had come up to keep her from seeing him the evening. To her surprise, when she'd called for the visitor to enter, it was none other than the person she had wanted so dearly to see.

She'd sat on her bed then, just staring as he had closed the chamber door behind him with a calm, yet smooth expression. No words were said as he strode towards her unhurriedly. She had been frozen in place, unsure of how to work her jaw, unsure of what to even think. Zeldris was supposed to be waiting for her! They were to be practicing weren't they? But then she had remembered something that had caused her face to heat even more severely than it already was with Zeldris only steps away from towering over her.

She was the exception to his diligence.

Once he stood right in front of her he had slowly extended his hand out to her, cupping her cheek as she gasped and simply gazed up at him in question. He could probably read every thought that was going on in her mind in that moment, but he hadn't commented. He had just let his fingers gently brush against her cheek again and again until she'd hummed in content and leaned into the touch. Her guard was lowered and Zeldris instantly took the moment to scoop her up and place her in the center of the bed, lying flat on her back.

Her heart had thudded so strongly and quickly with nervousness, passion, _anticipation,_ she was certain everyone in the castle could hear it. Zeldris did not move quickly, however. He'd removed his boots and climbed in after her, his eyes darker than she had ever seen them, staying on her the entire time. She was his prey and he planned on learning her.

The demon had undressed her, pulling the dress from her skin, and the scant slip right after it. Gelda was a bundle of wound nerves, bare to his eyes as her chest rose and shuddered quickly at the prospect. She had reached out her hands as she had finally found the will to open her lips.

"Zeldris…?"

But he had shook his head, frustrated as if she hadn't understood. "I just want to touch you, Gelda. Just let me touch you…"

Her brows had furrowed, unsure of his words, and she let her arms drop to the bedspread beneath her hoping that was what he wished. It became clear very soon what he meant. He began to slowly trace her features, starting from her eyebrows to the curve of her nose, then the pucker of her lips all with the pads of his fingers. It was very intimate and simply electric to her sensitive flesh. The way he looked at her, the way he explored her, every inch of her, left her feeling hot, flustered, and more than just some woman to be used. She felt like she was being cherished.

His hands drifted down the expanse of her arms, gripping lightly and massaging on the way down, around her wrists and in the palm of her hands. He'd brushed his fingers down her neck fleetingly causing her to shiver as they skimmed along her collarbone. His exploration of her torso was one of her favorite parts admittedly as he'd kneaded her breasts while she moan and clenched her thighs against the slow ache that throbbed there since the moment he undressed her. The pads of his thumbs had rubbed sluggish circles against her sensitive perky nipples causing her to whine softly in pleading, before he'd taken them between his fingers and tweaked them.

" _Z-Zeldris…"_ she had forced out feeling her cheeks flush so very hot and the heat begin to work down her neck.

Zeldris' hands glided downwards, brushing along her ribs, gripping her waist lightly before swirling inwards to her stomach. Her mind quickly begin to melt at the feel of him rubbing her belly so tenderly before smoothing down to her pelvis. Her breathing was uneven and it was the only sound in the room causing her embarrassment to rise along with her growing desire that slicked the insides of her thighs. She couldn't help her excitement however with the careful way Zeldris was touching her. She'd never experienced such gentle touches and her hands were beginning to get twitchy. She wanted something to grab onto, to _cling_ to as he gripped and pressed into the outsides of her thighs.

She wanted to explore him, too.

Her hand had reached up just as his had gripped the backs of her knees in order to pull her legs apart, exposing her. He'd frozen however when her fingers curled around the lapel of his black coat that clung to his torso like a second skin. Swallowing as her body was even more on display for his attentions, her need quite obvious in the flushed, swollen folds of her cleft, made her words soft and unsure despite the determination in her blue eyes. "I want to feel you, too…"

He'd studied her intently, nevertheless, he had shook his head. "Not tonight. Just let me do this. Soon, Gelda, soon."

She had been disappointed, and even considered making a move despite his words, but his hands were moving again. Touching, squeezing and pressing into the skin of her thighs until they began to flush with the rising heat of her body, easily taking her mind off her plan to try and get him undressed as well. He hadn't stopped there. His hands had worked under her, grasping the fleshy skin of her cheeks roughly, the only rough touch he'd shown all night and she'd moaned louder than any other time before.

Her breaths came quicker and her legs spread wider as he gripped her hard as if trying to mold the skin of her ass around his hands.

" _Oh, Zeldris!"_ She couldn't help the cry. It felt surprisingly good to be handled by him in such a way.

She'd managed to catch sight of his gaze at that very moment and it had shocked her into a full bodied shiver. The intricate marking above his left eyebrow was pulsating. Instead of smooth curves it began to look jagged and sharp as darkness bled out further along his skin. That hadn't even began to describe the feral gaze that seemed to rest in his eyes even though he seemed entirely calm otherwise. She hadn't known what rushed through her system like a cold shock then as she stared up at him while he fondled her.

And then one of his hands had slid up and all her worries had faded away into minuscule dust as he began to tease her slit with precise strokes, deep thrusts and curling fingers that had her back bending clean off the bed.

He'd spent the evening finding ways to give her release with just his touch until she'd promptly fell asleep from deep lethargy.

She hadn't been able to question him about his strange behavior that evening as he'd seemed completely normal afterwards. He'd even pulled her aside in one of the castle halls the next day and whispered heatedly into her ear, "You were so perfect last night, Gelda. So very breathtaking. Believe it or not… I wanted to take you right then and there. Just hold you in my arms and sink into, show you… some many things through actions alone."

She'd spun in his hold and kissed just under his ear before breathing into it slowly as her body began to warm pleasantly. "Why didn't you? I'm ready, Zeldris! _Please._ "

That's when he had stiffen and she turned to look into his serious expression. "You're not."

Her lips had pursed as frustration welled deeply within her. "How do you know? What the hell is it you need from me to know?"

He breathed out a long sigh before explaining while looking to the side. "You're close… I just want to be sure. I _need_ to be sure damn it."

She'd only had the chance to blink once before he'd walked around her murmuring something harshly under his breath. She could only catch the word "mine" unfortunately which gave her no indication as to what he could mean.

Things had continued on in the guise of normalcy for a few days after that. Then Zeldris had come to her room once more. It was similar to the first time. He had been silent, practically buzzing the room in the uncertainty of his actions. However that evening he'd chosen to instead go over every inch of skin, from her bare back as he'd flipped her onto her belly, the swell of her buttocks as he'd pulled her onto her knees, to her chest, stomach, legs, arms, _everywhere,_ with his mouth alone. He'd marked her like she was some kind of property of his, suckling her flesh with nipping bites here and there all as he'd gazed at her with a single minded focus of someone possessed by some untamed darkness.

The evening had ended the same as the other time, with him bringing her to climax until she was exhausted enough to fall promptly to sleep.

She had refused to let it go that time and went in seek of him the next day, cornering him on the third floor after he'd exited a bedchamber, one she had realized was his. She had learned soon that he could be as stubborn as a brick wall when it came to speaking despite his willingness to be open with her.

"I'll explain later," was all he gave her before striding off coolly, his posture strict and his aura instantly frosting over. That truly had been the end of trying to get answers from the oddness of those encounters.

Until he showed up once more. He was not the same as the other times though as he addressed her with a knowing smirk. "You wanted answers right?" he'd said as she had stood up, ready to dig into him if he hadn't worked up an explanation. Oh she loved what he did to her at night. She was _far_ from complaining. It was simply the manner in which he went about it which was different to what she was used to from him. He seemed more… primal?

His direct addressing of the matter however drew her up short and he was quick to pull her into his hold as he chuckled. This caused her to relax. _This_ was what she had been missing those nights. The dark way he teased her with mirth in his gaze as she squirmed. She was positively attracted to that side of him in spite of how infuriating it can be. She loved the way he pushed her, and demanded her in his controlling way. It made her want to fight back as she tried to entice him into giving into what she wanted, just as much as he.

He had taken her to bed, getting them both nice and comfortable in less layers of clothing, before pulling them both under the covers. Her figure had stiffened in surprise when he'd pulled her to his side, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist with his hand placed possessively upon her rear. The other arm had begun to rub up and down along her back as she'd tentatively placed her arm across his chest. It was reminiscent to how they usually lay together out in the field except she was used to him laying with his head resting against her belly. This time though she had gotten to place her head against his shoulder, snuggling her face into his neck as she inhaled. And heavens was it a wonderful, mouthwatering scent he gave off. Not like any other she had smelt before with how it pulled her in, stirring her blood with specks of embers just waiting to catch and ignite.

It was when minutes had passed by, his hand drawing slowly against her skin in mind numbing patterns as she began to grow hypnotized in his hold that she had moaned out a pleading, _"_ _Zeldris!"_ He was not going to make her drift off this night without telling her what was going on.

"What's happening," he had started out in the low tone he used when speaking of serious matters, "is a demon thing."

She had arched an eyebrow. "A demon thing?" She would definitely need more than that. And he could interpret that in the dissatisfied sway in her tone, which caused him to laugh although it was a bit dry.

"Yes. Even I can't keep in check against those instincts."

"But, I still do not understand, Zeldris. _Why_ is this happening?" she breathes out in question against the skin of his neck.

"I made a decision… and I'm technically acting accordingly."

Another round about answer, otherwise his way of saying he was not explaining in detail, or she would learn more eventually. She had nudged her head against the side of his playfully, "You demons do nothing but get under people's skin you know that?" she'd said through a wide grin.

"I do try."

His head had come to rest against hers just as he'd snagged her hand resting against his chest. "Gelda," his voice was hushed and almost filled with a tentative wonder as he had continued on, holding her hand delicately and causing her heart to skip several beats while she listened intently, "How do you do it? How do you stand being around me, knowing what I am, know what I can do, having seen for yourself how I can be…?"

A crawling of ice along her flesh turns her rigid for just the slightest of moments as she recalls what he was referring to. A day when she was running late to a meeting with her father, she had seen Zeldris and a guard together in a darkened hall. She hadn't thought much of it and nearly rushed by until she suddenly caught a glimpse of Zeldris in an entirely new light as he disarmed the male, several inches taller than him, and proceeded to hold the shaking individual by the edge of his blade. She couldn't hear what was being said but by the fury and force rolling off of the demon, something had occurred that pissed him off beyond normal measures. And then he'd looked over at her. There was not an ounce of regret in that gaze as he'd stared at her. And without another word he'd taken the guard by his neck and slammed him with such force to the ground the poor guy was surely knocked out.

She hadn't gotten a chance to ask him what that was about and simply pushed it to the back of her mind for later pondering.

"You know what evil is, you've lived with it your whole life and yet still you amaze me by somehow being here with me now, not caring about my darkness." He had lifted her hand up, twined with his, to press a kiss against the back of hers. She could only stare through the rosy blush that rose to her cheeks as she tried to breathe past her heart leaping in her throat. "That's what I… like about you, Gelda."

' _…_ _Like?'_ The word had been hesitant in her mind as she'd gazed at him with hope blazing madly in her eyes. ' _He likes me. Zeldris, he actually likes me.'_ She knew he was attracted to her. That was damn obvious to her on many occasion, but she hadn't even considered that his emotions ran deeper. That he might have harbored affection even with how tender he could be with her at times. His promise to break her to make her belong to him one day had confused her and caused her to always question exactly what he was after. So she was never certain and just never let herself hope.

But in hearing that she had felt herself smile more brightly than she had in such a long time. ' _Zeldris, likes me! Oh, I like him too, so very much!'_ She'd grown crimson at the thought and buried her face in the crook of his neck to hide it, but something felt off about the words. ' _I like him right? Yes… But I feel something more. Something much more.'_ What, she hadn't a clue.

The night things came crashing down was when she had decided she wanted to be the one to visit Zeldris for once instead. She had snuck to his chamber unseen through the dark gloomy halls of the castle and slipped in through his door. His room, unlike hers was small and held no personal affects, only a double bed with plain white coverings, a light grey chaise near the window sealed shut, and a large ornate chest with gold trimmings where his clothes were most likely kept since there was no wardrobe. A simple guest room.

Zeldris was nowhere to be seen which turned her lips down in disappointment until she had heard the sound of water running. A sinful idea flared wild and bright in her mind before she could begin to put it out and she had found herself easing on light feet towards the door which would give way to the washroom. It was open a crack to her lecherous delight and not even given it a second thought she had peaked in and instantly pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

Oh he was bathing alright. His skin was soaked, water running down his physique in ways she wished to glide her tongue. She could already feels her skin getting warmer by the second as she watched him shamelessly as he bathed. Her hand clung to the doorframe as the fleeting thought of how wrong what she was doing rose in her mind. Then it sank just as quickly as it surfaced under the wave of pure want as he shifted and she got to see his waist, then everything beneath it.

She wished to join him so desperately, it was becoming physically painful the ache that seared through her with every beat of her heart. And simply looking at him made it all worse, the need coiling within her. So with a strength she hadn't known she had, she had squeezed her eyes closed and let out a deep attempt at a calming, silent breath. Then she had opened them, prepared to have a seat on his bed and _wait_ like a normal being…

Except his eyes were staring right at her as he gave her his dazzling smirk.

"Gelda," he had called out teasingly, but also with a sharpness that told her not to run, gluing her instantly to the spot as her heart begin to nearly bleed out her hearing in her rising fear of his response. "How long do you plan on standing there watching instead of joining me?"

She had tried to swallow, but was too stunned to reply. He had wanted her to…? He actually _asked_ her to…? Now her heart was racing leaps and bounds beyond its limit as her hand had shakily pushed the door open and she stepped in, closing it behind her. This is surely what she wanted, to be in such an intimate place with him and this time she was going to use this to the fullest of her advantage as she possibly could.

Her clothes had fallen to the floor in a forgotten pile beneath her feet that she quickly stepped out of. The water as she had climbed over the edge of the deep tub was warm and possessed the object of her desires. His grin was wicked and she returned it with a simpering one of her own. She could tell by the way he gazed at her, that he knew what she had in mind and had every intention of keeping her at bay, but that was where he was wrong.

She had acted the innocent, letting him run water along her skin, massaging bathing lather into her skin until she was bubbly and smooth, free of all grime. When he had gotten behind her to wash her hair, running his fingers against her scalp in a way that made her toes curl beyond pleased, she had forced herself to not get too excited. Her time was about to come. And it was the moment he had finished getting all the suds from her body.

She had turned to him with a soft smile, drifting to him in the pool of water to press against his side. He had eyed her, waiting for her to do something obvious. But she simply grabbed a washcloth and began washing his back gingerly, keeping his attention. The thing was she stayed to his s _ide_ so she was able to place her other hand against his front disguised as leverage. A brush against his nipple here, grazing her fingers along his toned stomach there and it wasn't long before his breathing became a bit uneven and he was caught up in the mesmerizing way her fingers would teasingly slide lower and lower only to slip back up before reaching any major areas.

By then she was sure he knew what she was doing, but he was too far in and was willing to let her continue for the sake of relief. She had even pulled back once his back was washed to gaze into his visage to give him a provocative grin. He'd thrown her off her attempts at being in control by dipping his head down and capturing her lips in a quick yet disarming kiss that left her shuddering for breath and leant against him when he pulled back. His voice was husky and thick as he growled out his question, "What do you plan to do next?"

She had shivered violently and moaned lowly, pressing against his side more tightly as her breaths had come out more ragged. Oh she had known what she wanted to do, but she also had known he would stop her. She had to go slowly, take baby steps. Do things she had wanted to do for a while now. She had pressed her palm against his chest and he got the idea that she wanted him to lean back a bit. Then she had let her eyes wander down, down, to the rigid flesh jutting up from between his legs.

She had grasped him unsurely at first, then grew firmer in her touch as she marveled that the heat that radiated from him there. Zeldris shivered just the slightest when she began to jerk her hand slowly, up and down, twisting her wrist, and narrowing her hold every so often. It was absolutely blazing under her skin just listening to the sounds he made as she worked her hand. From the low groans that grew rougher with time to the raggedness of his breathing. She glued herself to his side in her rising lust, pressing her breasts to his flesh so that her hardened nipples brushed against his skin, teasing him and herself.

Her hand began to jerk quicker as he began to respond enthusiastically, thrusting his hips into her palm in increasing, rising need as his length began to pulse quicker with his heartbeats and grow hotter in her hold. Gelda had pressed desperate little kisses to his shoulder and neck, trying to block out the throb between her legs that begged and pleaded with her to do something, _anything_ to satisfy herself as her own heartbeat had caused the throb in her core to become unbearable. She had known what she wanted. Known she wanted him inside her, him atop of her, pressing her down as he drove into her driven completely by their desires.

A high desperate noise had come from her as she had watched Zeldris' expression became more flustered as he grit his teeth together and let his head fall back, allowing her to see the tenseness in his jaw and neck as he moaned his pleasure. He was right there, needy and ready to please her as he grunted roughly and began to jerk lewdly into her palm just about ready to release. The very thought made her entire body tense…

Something in her had snapped in a heated wave of insanity.

Gelda had swung her leg over his waist and mounted him like a saddle. She had moved swiftly, driven by her pent up need, her body so tight, so wound and ready to positively _break_ with the need for him to fill her, nothing would stop her. Nothing at all. She had his length in hand ready and positioned and she lowered herself fully onto his manhood, consuming him into her core in one plunge. It was instantaneous their body's reactions to her move. She had dreamt of this moment for hours, and days, and weeks, and feeling his pulsing length, so rigid and hot stretch her insides so suddenly was almost too much for her mind. Her core began to squeeze, going through wave after mind blowing wave of contractions as she sucked in a deep breath and cried out his name for all to hear. Her chest shook, her body quaking sporadically as she had tried to breathe, tried to think pasts the orgasm that had forced her to rear her head back and choke on broken cries as she slowly bounced in Zeldris' lap.

She hadn't noticed Zeldris stiffen momentarily or how his fingers had curled into her hips as he tried to edge away, his ragged sound of protest was lost to her ears. His resistance had died away as she rode him through her orgasm urging his on inevitably. And it hardly took long after for her to feel how he had begun to slam up into her, filling her up with each jutting of his hips. Her pleasure was heightened beyond her realm of belief at this, feeling like a white hot blaze as he had gripped her hips tight and held her steady while groaning hoarsely. Water had splashed unsteadily all around them spilling all over the floor, but neither gave it a thought as they had quickly pressed their bodies together in shallow thrusts repeatedly until she no longer felt the deep feeling of something pulsing inside her any longer.

Gelda stared dazed at the ceiling for a long while as she tried to come down from the fact that that actually happened. That she actually had managed to get a sample of what it could be like. She had closed her eyes and smiled a tiny upturning of her lips. She was too excited and reached her end, _much_ faster than she had expected. But she had been thinking of the moment for too long. But now… now she's ready for the real thing. Her stomach had filled with fluttering butterflies at the thought as she reopened her eyes and turned to gaze at Zeldris with the hope that they could continue very, very soon.

The moment, _the very instant_ , her eyes had landed on his face, she had realized she'd made the worst mistake of her life.

He had looked absolutely murderous, positively livid, the way his eyes had narrowed into seething slits and his mouth had set into a stoney sneer. He had never gazed at her so furiously before. Never had he sent chills of true fright down her spine as she had felt his power rise and snap out around them only just barely being held back. She had never wanted to run from him. She had never been afraid of _him_. Not until that moment. Not until his eyes had bore into her very soul with pure unbridled rage.

She had tried to scramble back, to flee, but his hands were gripping her hips, _hard_. She was certain his fingers would leave marks there if he ever let go. Her hands had slipped to his wrists afraid to touch him, but wanting to let go as her eyes began to well with tears.

"Is that what you want? _Is that all you want?_ For me to fuck you?" His voice was quiet, unbelievably controlled, but it had torn through her cleanly and made the tears race down her cheeks.

She had sniffled and tried to answer, but then he had moved, pulling her up and them out of the bath, jerkily never letting her go, even if he kept her by the arm. Gelda had whimpered a high pitched sound and tried to get him to release her as he dried them off haphazardly leaving the towels to fall to the floor, then dragged her from the room as she tripped over her feet. "S-sorry! I didn't—" She had tried to cry out, but he was on a warpath.

Zeldris had pulled her up and into his arms, keeping a tight hold on her, quite fed up with her stumbling around as he ground out in a voice resembling gravel, "I'll teach you a lesson. I will show you."

She truly began to cry then, her heart breaking in her chest as she had realized what she had done. She'd driven him away, broken his trust and withered away what little affection he had towards her. Now he was going to take her to bed and do to her what all the others had. There would be no care, there would be no pleasure. There would just be an act and she would be left feeling used and dirtier than she'd ever felt before. _'_ _How could I… How could I have done this?'_

When she felt him sit and the spring in the bed as they bounced, she expected him to put her down and for things to start. What had shocked her was how he instead situated her across his lap, her torso flat over his thighs with the base of her breasts resting against the side of his thighs and her legs dangling over the other side. Her silent cries had stilled for all of a second. Then a loud _smack_ of skin against skin had cracked through the air and she had felt the sting against the flesh of her rear instantly. Her entire body had jolted as she had cried out, having never been hit in such a way.

It came again a second later, and her hands had scrambled to grab something to brace herself against the searing sting that borders on something else as she breathed out a soft whine. Her body had felt jittery. Her minds had spun in dizzying twirls of confusion similar to that of a kaleidoscope.

"You fucking disobeyed me, Gelda _,"_ he had emphasized this with another swat against her ass.

She had squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered loudly as her voice cracked in pleading. She had fidgeted in his lap as she had tried to recover from the shocking stings of his strike, unsure of the feelings that had stirred up inside her. She had thought he was going to fuck her, so why was he spanking her? It was just short of hurting, the marks he was surely making to her ass cheeks, but the way he spoke to her had caused it to feel salacious in a way. And that was what had made her jump with a short squeal at his next smack. Her body was beginning to heat as the skin of her buttocks reddened and swelled, becoming tender to his actions.

He had continued on, telling her in dark rough tones, things like how she was "misbehaving" and "how naughty she was". He made it all sound entirely vulgar as he told her what he would do to her if she was naughty again. She was panting by then, just imagining what his punishment would be like. And his pops against her skin became all the more arousing by the minute as the pain twined with a rising pleasure to the dark tones of his voice. He was hitting her, but he wasn't hurting her. It was the roughness of his actions that had enticed her so much that she was moaning like a feline in heat as he gave her two successive swats in a row.

"I'm going to have to punish you severely if you do something like that again."

She had breathed hotly as her vision hazed in her heady need. "Y-yes… I promise, Zeldris I won't… a-again."

He gave her another sharp smack that caused her to squeak then moan as he rubbed his hand coarsely against her sore bottom. "Be sure that you don't," came his throaty reply.

Her world had spun woozily as he moved her until she had found herself with her legs spread on either side of his and his fingers teasing her folds before they had slipped between them. She had breathed out almost helplessly when he had slipped two fingers inside her and pressed the palm of his hand up against her throbbing clit. Through glazed eyes she had stared at him and watched as his lips had formed the words, "Fuck yourself on my fingers, Gelda."

A flush had spread across her cheeks and to her ears as she began to rock, moaning long and loud as he curled his fingers just right as always for her. She had known he was still angry with her and this was apart of her punishment which she would take. But even if she was being treated in such a way, she was glad he hadn't any plans of truly hurting her. She had known as he had brought her pleasure while watching her with an intense gaze rigid with the remnants of his anger, he had still cared for her.

She had just seen another side to him. Another facet. His anger. And she really does not wish to bring it upon herself again.

Zeldris had not touched her intimately for a week after that incident. They would still go out to the field, never would they meet in her room anymore, much to her disheartenment. But he still kissed her and he still held her. She just figured he was still angered with her.

So when he came into her room this evening, she was completely stumped to say the least. He had seemed pretty urgent in the way he had touched her, kissed her, undressed her… It was a blur of heated caresses and whispered sweet nothings as he pulled her to the bed her mind already gone from his mesmerizing ways.

She lies on top of Zeldris, flush against him, his rough hands gripping her thighs, keeping them apart as his breath teasingly warms against her quivering slit. And right before her face is his rigid manhood, smooth, so very hot and grasped in her palm as she kisses the tip flushed with need and beading clear, sticky fluid that tastes absolutely delightful on her tongue. She thought Zeldris had not wished to touch her in such a way again. Not after what she'd done.

Now she leans down and engulfs the head of his length letting go of the bad things that happened between them as she works to prove herself worthy of forgiveness. She had always wished to give him pleasure with her mouth as he does to her… as he's doing right now temporarily disabling her thoughts as she feels his tongue flick against her bundle of nerves in a way that has her eyes squeezing shut as she moans continuously in her throat. The sound sending pleasant vibrations into his straining need as he groans and begins to push up into her mouth, which she opens wider. And _oooh_ his taste. She moans even louder as she begins to taste the small bursts that wash along her tongue, sharp and potent and blazing in her mind as she begins to suck against him harder as if he's a fine confectionary treat.

It's impossible to think when she has to keep up with two types of pleasure assaulting her continuously. His tongue stroking in long passes before he gives her clit a good suck that has her quivering as his hips thrust steadily faster, and deeper until he's hitting the back of her throat with each thrust as she swallows around him. She moans for him brokenly as her breath becomes shaky and the pleasure nearly becomes overriding when his tongue slips inside her and he groans against her core.

 _'_ _Oooh, Zeldris, please,'_ she thinks in a haze as she feels his ravenous tongue flicking and prodding and stroking her insides as she rocks into his mouth. They move together trying to cause the other to stutter in their motions with a particularly well placed suck or a long deep curling of a tongue. Gelda clings to his thighs as she feels herself getting closer, her own thighs beginning to tremble as her core clenches and becomes wetter, hotter, and so tense with pleasure she feels her face crimson as her eyes become teary in her near release. She hums deep in her throat as she lets Zeldris pump into her mouth at the pace he needs.

It's so erotic giving pleasure this way, she decides. And it's even more so when she feels Zeldris' fingers become near painful in their grip on her thighs as he stills for a split second and his throaty groan broken in his chest presses right into her sensitive core as she feels something begin to spurt thickly in her mouth. And the sudden need to swallow or choke arises in her. She had tasted him once before and her mind had buzzed with the addiction of it, but having it spill directly into her mouth in such a way…

She feels it deeply inside her as the muscles in her thighs clench and the heady rush that has her eyes darkening as her core spasms in her orgasm all begins to consume her mind. Then she hears the wet sounds of Zeldris suckling her, making sure to swallow her juices and what they're doing once again causes her skin to crimson in fluster.

When their bodies begin to slow from the forceful motions of their orgasms, Gelda lets his length gleaming in layer of her saliva slip from her mouth as she sags tiredly against his form, her head resting against his thigh.

It's not until she catches her breath minutes later and she feels the even breaths of Zeldris against her mound does her cheeks begin to heat in embarrassment and she scrambles to roll off of him, to give him something to breathe other than… _her_. And he just laughs lightly at her antics, gazing at her with humored eyes when she turns her face to look at him almost mortified. "W-why didn't you move me?"

He shifts on the bed so that he can pull her closely in his arms and she can stare at nothing but his eyes as his voice comes out low and rumbling in his throat. "Well, you smell pretty mouthwatering. I was fine where I was."

She squirms in his arms. Does he have to say such things that makes her heart jitter in nervousness? They've done so many things and still he always find ways to make her insides melt all the while. When she calms and can finally focus on his expression her happy yet embarrassed expression gradually fades away at seeing the utter seriousness that tinges his entire countenance. Seeing it makes her stomach feel queasy with worry, her heart hardening to stone.

Something is wrong.

And she doesn't like the way his hand comes to brush along her cheek as if to sooth the anxiousness that's risen in her. His words… She'd almost say she were in a nightmare if he didn't feel so warm, so real around her. "Gelda, I am leaving…"

"What…?" She has to ask as her heart, she thought was a stone in her chest all but fractures and crumbles to anguished pieces. Those were the words she'd been praying he would never say to her. His stay here was temporary, she knew. She _knew this damn it_ , and yet the vampire still allowed herself to get attached to him. She still let herself depend on him, rely on him. She still let herself develop feelings she's starting to feel are more and more in the realm of whole hearted, deep seated, soul wrenching love.

And they can't be taken back now.

"I have to take a report to my superior and then I promise you, _I promise you_ , I will come back in two days…" he says in a firm serious voice.

But she can't believe him. She'd let herself get too deep and for _what?_ A demon she wanted to sleep with more than anything in the world? No… it became more than that long ago, but now she doesn't even want to think of it or she's sure she'll fall to tears. And _she refuses to cry over this._ Her own stupidity.

But when she feels his thumb brush under her eyes, the moisture on his skin visible and obvious to them both, she realizes it's too late. It's too late for many things.

So she just barely over a whisper lets herself ask in a croaky voice, "When do you leave?"

He dosen't look at her as if she's weak for her shameful tears. He even pulls her into him and captures her lips in a kiss so soft she's amazed a demon as gruff as he can gingerly guide their lips together in a way that calms her fragile heart broken in shards.

He pulls back and sighs warmly against her lips, but she doesn't open her eyes, not wishing to see the finality in his eyes. "Tonight. After I get dressed."

 _'_ _Then don't,'_ she wants to say aloud, but he's already unraveling her from his arms and moving around the room to collect his clothing that is his ticket out this castle and her life in her mind.

He shuts her windows for her, probably thinking she'll lay there until the sun rises and let it burn her to ashes. She does feel pretty empty with the knowledge of his departing, but she wouldn't let it get that far. He said he would be back, but… would he really? Why would he wish to come back to this castle dull and lifeless, filled with wickedness and treacherous monsters such as her father? What sane reason would he have to come back to her?

She watches him stride, his walk overflowing with the power and strength of the soldier he is, that this place has been making little of, towards her door. She expects him to leave without another word, his strict mannerism fully intact. But to her surprise he pauses, with his hand on the door's handle. Then he speaks, in a voice she has to strain to hear with his back completely towards her.

"Gelda, I told you before you would belong to me, did I not?" The room is crushed in the tension of his words and she waits. She begs silently, pleading for him to continue.

The door opens and he continues solemnly as he departs, "I always keep my word."

Then… he's gone. Her eyes stay glued to the last spot he once stood, his words playing repeatedly in her mind. She eventually drifts to sleep like that, never once acknowledging the tears that continued to fall silently down her pale cheeks.


	5. Chapter 5

**~5~**

Two days. Two long, mundane days filled with sleepless nights, stiff stares from the royal members of her race, and silent treks to his room when she dared just to relish in his scent when things became too much for her. Gelda realizes she had become attached. Much too attached to Zeldris. No it's more than that, she muses with a forlorn expression while standing in a meeting her father is having with his army's general and a few delegates of their race. His droning words are deaf to her ears.

She's grown dependent on him. Zeldris to her is the epitome of life and vitality compared to the cold stones of the castle and the bland routines vampires are forced to go through with their inability to travel out during the day. With him around she had been able to live through him, to see what life could be like and feel so many things she never thought truly existed.

He showed her reasons worth getting up the next day, reasons to smile, reasons to laugh, feel sweet bliss, and the wonderful sensation that is love. It can be both soft and gentle, a wholehearted feeling as Zeldris holds her close at night. Or it can be burning and all consuming as it threatens to overwhelm you as he shows her a passion worth melting into. Her attachment to the demon is a blessed result of her love for him. But in just a few simple words he also showed her how easy it is for love to break someone.

Zeldris left… but he was supposed to be coming back, that night even and she wants to believe that he will. She wants to allow herself so desperately the hope, but what exactly is there worth coming back to? She has done nothing but go after him like a desperate feline in heat yearning for him to satisfy her completely, filling her body insatiably with his. He must be tired of her constant pursuance and thinks of her as some lowly vampire beneath him.

Gelda lets out a saddened sigh as her eyes drift down to the ground below her, never noticing the way her father turns his gaze in her direction with a growing snarl across his face.

She ignores the thoughts in her mind that protests her conclusions. They try tell her that what she thinks isn't true. That Zeldris said he would make her _his_. She just can't imagine it as true. Not with who she is and what she's been forced to do her whole life. She may be a princess by title but she's nothing more than a common wench.

Her hands begin to fist into her dress at her sides, her limbs trembling as her face fills with a hot sensation centered near her eyes. Gelda tenses her jaw as she bores her gaze down at the ground willing herself not to shed any tears, _not here not now_ when everyone can see her. But her vision begins to blur and her heart picks up in a trembling worry that she won't be able to keep herself in check.

 _"_ _Gelda."_

Her muscles tighten forcefully as she freezes in shock at the address, rough, low and every bit as threatening as she knows her father to be. She isn't supposed to be spoken to during these meetings, so why now? She may be the princess but she is merely a placeholder standing at her father's side as he and his court discuss topics she is never allowed to give her opinion on, so _why now?_ Why when she's about to let her mask slip-

"Are you ignoring me? _I am speaking to you, Gelda!"_ His voice scrapes out like graveled stones, booming around the room as he sets his rage upon her feeble form.

Instantly her entire body falls into nerve wracking trembles as the sharpness of him penetrates her. She turns to face him then just as she blinks. The evidence rolls down her cheeks, a hot sensation that she nearly hisses outward in a frenzied curse at her own foolishness. She's proving herself to be the incompetent daughter he always accuses her off.

Gelda watches, as she quickly raises her hands to swipe at her eyes, how Izraf nearly crushes the arms of his throne with the subtle tightening of the muscles in his bulky arms. The wildly livid way he gazes at her stutters her breaths and petrifies her heart, but she has to keep her gaze to his, otherwise she might bring about his fury the likes of which she's never seen before.

"What is this _weakness_ you display before me? Tell me the truth. I already have an inclination of your treachery, Gelda, so being dishonest here would not be so wise," He hisses in a voice so low it vibrates in her ears and weighs heavily in her mind making her feel woozy.

He does not know. He cannot. But still she hesitates to answer as her eyes briefly flick around. The sight of the empty solace of the yawning room the two vampires reside in incites a curse within her mind. The meeting had been over and that's why he took notice of her. She was so lost in her mind she walked right into this mess.

Her blue eyes turn back to his as her heart fills her throat. "Something must have… gotten into my eyes. I did not wish to draw any attention but I failed in that aspect." A terrible terrible lie, but it was all she could think of with her mind giving her blanks at the look her father gives her. As if he'll be entirely happy feeding her to their chimaras meant for their prisoners.

When he rises slowly, his form inching higher and higher as he stands to tower over her form, so much taller and bulkier than her, she stumbles back a few steps before stilling herself. Even if she trembles quite visibly she will face this head on. _She_ brought this onto herself. She wanted Zeldris. He did not want her. If she runs away from this like a coward she would never be able to look herself in the mirror. A whore who also hides from her problems, too? She won't add anymore to her shoulders.

"You dare lie to my face, Gelda, even after I told you that I _knew?_ Those tears were for that wretched demon! I know this to be true!"

"Father, I have stayed away from him as you have wished of me, so that is not-"

The heel of her shoe breaks from the rough way her body twists and falls down the two steps leading up to the throne. When her body finds its resting place scraped against the floor, she feels agonizing jolts racing through her cheek and jaw where her father had struck her. Blood already fills her mouth, the bitter tinge of it making her more nauseous than the dizzying pain she's already in. She hears the dull roar of her heart in her ears as she sucks in quivering breaths.

"I've been to your room and his scent clings there like a disease that refuses to leave! It is as if you two have been living there, _breeding_ there. Is that it, Gelda? Has he taken you to bed? Have you let that lowly demon fuck you, a vampire of royal class? _You dare lower yourself to such filth!?"_

Gelda winces as she pushes herself up, squeezing her right eye closed as she feels it already beginning to swell slightly beneath it. Her body may be aflame in pain, her heart twinged in anguish over her fruitless love, and her status as princess tarnished beyond repair, but she still finds her way to her feet, unbalanced until she pushes herself out of her gaudy heels, to stare at her father right within his rage filled gaze. "You speak as if you don't know what it is I do, what it is you make me do, I should say, as I bare the curse you gave me. The Thousand Temptations. Why, me "lowering myself to such filth" is the very reason our kingdom has grown so powerful father. So why would the idea of me sleeping with a demon be so revolting, I wonder?"

Her father's face abruptly pales before gaining a bright hue of rage with the climbing of his energy. "Y _ou little bitch-!"_

Her voice begins to shake as it rises in volume to cut him off as she makes her stand for once in her life. "I did try to disobey you! I did try to charm Zeldris into taking me to bed. _Oh, I tried,"_ she tells him with a bitter laugh as her hands curl into fists as she stands tall in her admittance, not filling an ounce of guilt for her supposed betrayal. "But Zeldris is an honorable demon. He knows what I am. That I am nothing but a wench under the guise of a princess."

She rushes on to continue, already seeing her father about to burst at the seams at the prospect, "No he never said such words to me, but it is true. Zeldris has not taken me to bed despite what you believe. And he has no plans to." The room is enveloped in a chilling silence. One that presses in from all sides as she and her father hold each other's gazes for several tense minutes. Neither back down.

But Gelda knows it can only last so long, this moment of silence just waiting for the spark that will send things spiraling into chaos. She winds up turning from Izraf, completely disheveled with her hair a mess around her face. It's a risky move, but she knows being in his presence any longer with him this vengeful is even more so of a threat than turning her back to him. "If that is all, my liege," she speaks cordially while gliding on bare feet towards the exit, the cool stones bite into her soles with each steps she takes, "I will take my leave."

"You're running off to meet that scum again, aren't you?" It's not really a question, the slick way he coils his threat around her throat.

But she does not stop her stride. "Zeldris has no reason to return to me, Sire. You do not have to worry."

Her hand braces against the heavy wooden door that leads to her exit when her father halts her with a few ominous words. "I am far from worried, Gelda. This blemish of yours upon the royal blood of our clan will wreak punishment. Remember that…"

Gelda slips from the room without a word, desperate to be alone and for her own words to not be true. The moment she enters her room, she lets herself sag inward and instantly her tears begin to fall anew. Her father now knows of her activities with Zeldris and he spoke of repercussions. What they may be is what terrifies her to the point of collapsing against her bed where she curls up, dress and all, and just lets her tears flow.

She wants him there, Zeldris. She wants his arms around her as she rests her head against his chest. She wants to feel his warmth surrounding her and to be able to hear the odd sound in his chest as he lulls her to sleep. She wants that security. She wants that feeling of love again.

That's why she knows, when she drifts off into an uncomfortable slumber, cold, broken, and lonely, that everything she believed was true in the end. Zeldris did not return just as she knew he wouldn't.

~.~.~

Another day has passed where she has been blessedly allowed to stay in her bedchamber without any disturbance. Zeldris has not returned and slowly, like letting go to a long held on dream, she forces herself to move on. To climb out of bed soaked in the tears of grief, drag herself to her washroom and cleans herself of the pain that hangs over her head just waiting to drench her again the moment she lets herself fall into the memories. Numb from wondering what it was about her that made Zeldris choose to stay away, Gelda exits her bath and wraps her chilled skin in a towel when a noise in her chamber causes her to jolt. Someone has entered without permission. Could it be…?

Never before has her heart jumped so quickly, been fueled with such hope, her very being trembles light up with it and yet at the same time _fragile_ because of it. "Zeldris?" The soles of her feet echo in damp slaps against the floor as she rushes to the door that'll lead out to her room. Her heart threatens to choke her as she tries to swallow, her hands shakily fighting with the door handle in her haste to get it open. "Zeldris, is that you?" Finally the door gives just as tears start to sting at the back of her throat in her desperation her hope holds her so high.

"No, Lady Gelda, your father asked us to come and prepare you for this evening. He has a very important ambassador coming for a meeting that he wishes for you to attend," one of her helper maids informs her evenly stilling Gelda in place.

The princess stares for several moments her voice unable to come to her as her hope lets her down, leaving her to fall and shatter inwards into agonized pieces. One can only tell from the way she blinks several times, her eyes becoming glassy as she swallows a shaky breath; the blues of her eyes seemingly fracture, unable to maintain the smooth ice that coated them before. The turbulent waters revealed below them as she looks down, raising a hand to slowly wipe away at them, is just as distressing to see. "Oh. I see." It was foolish of her to think the demon had returned. Of course her life would go back to this. _Of course it would._

"Please sit here, Princess, we'll hide away those bruises and make you as lovely as ever," one tells her in an attempt to brighten the sorrow that has befallen the room

Gelda merely walks stiffly, resigned to her fate to the chair before her vanity, unashamed of the tears that taint the pale, bruised, and slightly swollen face that stares with broken eyes back at her.

~.~.~

Her father's power fills the room to the brim the moment she enters in precise steps, her heels creating a dramatic typo leading up to his eyes on her, his judgment befalling her. She stands beside him as always, the movements she make drilled into her since she was a little girl learning the ways of her clan. She bows with little emotion and raises with, "Good evening, my King."

The weight of his eyes is heavy, but she hardly _feels_ it locked away from her emotions powerful enough to do her mental harm. Instead her eyes train forward on the doors where the ambassador is due any moment surely.

"Gelda, my daughter, so lovely of you to join me." His voice churns through her with the force of his power, his words suggesting she had a choice in the matter when they both know that was not the case. "I have thought of a way for you to make it up to your clan, your transgressions with that filth you let disgrace your being."

Gelda is wise enough to know where her father's mind has already gone. Make up would not have been placed over the bruise he gave her, her body not squeezed into the floor length gown meant to accentuate her figure otherwise. But she acts curious nonetheless, her voice light yet her eyes hollow. "How am I to gain my clan's forgiveness, father?"

A dark chuckle, laced with oily delight that turns her stomach comes from the vampire towering in his throne beside her. "I'm glad you asked. The ambassador I invited is a very influential vampire. For us to have his favor would raise our kingdom's status exponential, Gelda. I want you to make sure he does not leave dissatisfied with us, do you understand?"

The fanfare announce a being of high statues flares for a moment almost drowning out her affirmation. Of course she understands. This is her role as princess of Edinburgh ultimately.

~.~.~

The man her father wished her to charm follows her up to her bedchamber after talking politics over dinner. Her power flowed through the brunette easily, though his russet eyes were on her the entire evening, hardly needing the help of her power to convince him to give into his desires. His hands mold to the shape of her waist, roaming where they can, while gluing to her with more suction than an octopus. "You are a magnificent specimen." His pompous voice breathes down her neck as he slides behind her in the security of her room. "I cannot wait to explore your every depths."

Gelda smiles as she should, her power no longer thrumming through her as the man acts according to his own whims. "I hope I can please you, my lord." The feel of his palms, large and flooded with excitement at having his hands on her, gliding over the material covering her stomach then bust makes her shudder. He takes it as a sign of growing desire and begins to hasten his movements.

Patience is not high on his list as she hears the material of her dress begin to rip at the back, the carefully done lace up her spine being rendered useless at his hands. She stumbles with the force of his pursual, the feel of his hands suddenly on her skin holding hardly any strength of one who's had to work for anything. Instead she's offered up on a platter as his hands grip and pull at her flesh, guiding her towards the bed as the sound of ragged breathing starts to press against her ears.

He pushes her face first on the bed, her rear high for him to ogle as she grunts into her sheets finding purchase on the palms of her hands. The weight of the bed shifts when he climbs in with her and she pushes herself upwards at the feel of his hands smoothing along her bottom, gripping and feeling her flesh as if he's never experienced such a thing before. She struggles with herself not to flinch or show signs of displeasure, breathing evenly as she is meant to.

"So beautiful, and deliciously pert in this moonlight. You are going to feel so wonderful, my dear," he rasps throatily, ensnared in the prospect of someone so much younger than he.

Gelda's heart slowly sinks into her stomach as she rounds to face him with a coy grin. "Let me prepare you, my lord," she insists while reaching for the top drawer of her bedside table. Inside it is a glass bottle of oil that has come in great handy in these situations. There's no way her body, no matter how much she resigns herself to these instances, makes it easy for whatever male she must lay with to bed her without it.

The aristocrat gives her a weighted leer, the hair lining his lips and dripping down his chin, making her stomach twinge with disgust. She crawls towards him, making sure to be exceedingly provocative in the way her breasts sway, so that his eyes stay there and not on the way her eyes dull when she's within grabbing length. When he sweeps her into his lap, his mouth wrapping around one of her nipples overly wet, she quickly undoes the fastening of his pants, freeing him graciously as he groans against her flesh.

The oil goes on him in thorough strokes, her mind simply focusing on satisfying, doing what she can to make sure the perverted sounds he makes as he pinches her backside keep going. Gelda gasps sharply when he bites particularly hard, her mind going once again to how impatient he is. How all that matters is his pleasure alone.

"Do you like this, little princess?" he pants out of breath when her breast slides from out of his mouth.

"Yes. It's wonderful," she says in a believably low purr. She watches the way his eyes flash with the praise before he's pushing her onto her back as his length bobs between his legs. Sucking in a much needed breath as her mind threatens to whirl right from under her, she spreads her thighs tantalizingly for him while inwardly screaming at how this is her life. This will always be her life. And she will never escape it.

"Please use me as you like."

The man is swift in unbuttoning his pristine white shirt, revealing the flab of middle age. She does not look away from the lust in his eyes, not when he tosses his shirt from the bed, nor when he climbs over her, between her legs. The slickness of him presses against her and then he's filling her body, groaning loud enough for the both of them. Her legs wrap around him as he starts a rough rhythm. Her body jostles with the movements beneath him as her breath flees her lungs at each thrust. She can't stand to look at his face above hers now, turning away to face the door as he rapidly fills her body again and again. He takes it as an offering and places his lips against her neck, the vibrations of his grunts and moans contrasting with the tickle of his facial hair, all of it enough to keep her mind off of him inside her, wet and slapping, hands kneading and pulling as he has his way with her.

 _'_ _Please just... finish already.'_ Sweat begins to build as her body pleases him thoroughly, the heat clinging to her skin as she closes her eyes and breathes unsteadily at the brushes of pleasure just far out of her reach.

His grip on her breasts become punishing pulling a cry from her throat he seems to delight in, before his clammy hands find her rear. His fingers dig into her flesh then, making her body arch into his as he all but rams into her with loud desperate sounds. Her heart speeds as a pressure stings at the backs of her eyes, the feeling between her legs now unbearable as he gnaws at her throat. _'_ _Please… just...'_

His rhythm begins to splutter, his body falling atop of hers as he thrusts slowly, yet harshly within her shuddering walls. The sounds he makes as her soft youthful body caresses his sickening to her ears. Gelda grits her teeth fighting back tears as she slides her legs from around his waist to plant her feet on the bed meeting his thrusts head on with fluid rolls, determined to have him finish so he can leave her before she crumbles. She feels him pulsing rapidly within her walls just when he pulls out of her. Blue eyes snapping forward to see him grasp himself and begin jerking quickly over her prone figure with thick grunts.

Only his body flies from over hers before that release can be spilled all over her, the crash of his body hitting the wall near her door startling her so entirely she turns her head to him impact with the wall a mere second before slashes are carved through his body. The gory sight of blood and body parts sliding down her wall forces her hand to slam over her mouth as she quakes in deep shock.

Logic guides her head towards her window where the threat most likely snuck in while she and the aristocrat were distracted. However it only takes an instance for her to see him and feel his power stretch outwards irate beneath the cold exterior he dons for her to lose what little restraint she had on her emotions, two tears easily slipping down her cheeks. "Zeldris?" He's seen her in the act, seen for himself what she knows drove him away. More tears fall as she blinks back a choked noise, her thighs closing in utter shame. _'_ _He'll never want me now.'_ And yet the little voice she's smothered in the time he's been gone tries to bring to her attention that he _came back,_ though she ignores it _._

She watches with hitched breaths as he sheaths his sword, his eyes never leaving her figure on the bed. He looks just as imposing, just as attractive, just as impossible to read as she remembers him and this alone brings a watery smile to her lips, her heart swollen with love that pours from the wells of her eyes. He strides towards the side of the bed rigidly and she moves over towards him, hoping and praying he does not turn her away. When his hand goes to the back of her head, curling in her hair as he pulls her to him, she lets out a shuddered sob of relief while her face presses into his chest. Her hands cling to his sides as she inhales his scent greedily, trying and failing to calm.

Then he speaks lowly, his voice as sharp as the tip of an iceberg. "It took longer than I thought to take in my report." His fingers go to soothingly stroke along the nape of her neck when it appears her breathing is reaching a hysterical level. She matches the pace of her breathing to the path his fingers take, back and forth, in and out, imagining the warm trails in her mind in utter content as she holds onto him not ever wanting to let go. His words make the voice she hadn't listened to louder. He intended to come back, things just took longer than he assumed. _'_ _Maybe he still wants me as his? Even after seeing...'_

"I now have a new mission here, Gelda." he makes it clear once she rests heavily against him. The ominous tone missed completely until he says his next words. "I'm here to exterminate the vampires."

Her heart stops in her chest as she leans her head up, gaping at him in horror. Zeldris' black orbs pierce her indifferently as a chill climbs up her figure planning on embedding her in icy stabs. "Y-you can't," she hardly whispers past wobbly lips that beg and plead for his words to not be true.

He draws a thumb gently under her eye still tender from the strike she took and she realizes the makeup must have smeared off from her movements in bed. "Your father is not planning to stay faithful to our agreement. The entire clan is to fall because of his underhandedness." He tells her the death of her people as if they're simple facts, clean cut and completely controlled. She has to close her eyes so she won't see the unwavering of his stance any longer.

Her father did this. He doomed her race. He controlled her life from the moment she could think for herself, making sure every single instance she could recall was miserable. And the one light she found in the demon before her was snatched away because of _him_. Her life being taken away after a hint of what life is supposed to be like. She sniffs loudly and reopens her eyes needing to tell Zeldris at least this once before he follows through on his plans how grateful his presence in her life has been. "Zeldris, I—"

"Gelda, I have another mission of my own to uphold as well." He interrupts seriously he reaches for the gown lain at the food of her bed, where she always leaves it when she's forced to take men to bed, and brings it around her shoulders. "I need you to answer some questions for me, Gelda. " He swipes away her tears as she nods uncertain of what he wants, but willing to do anything for him at this point because doing for him is doing for herself.

"Would you be willing to kiss me every time I arrive home?"

Her eyelids flutter as she gazes up at him astonished, gripping so hard to his sides she's surely bruising, but he doesn't wince. He only continues to hold her gaze awaiting her answer raptly. And it's then as her heart squeezes with hope, her insides warming considerably as she struggles to find her voice, that she notices he's been letting her cling to him; his usual efforts in controlling her motions absent in the way he presses her close, in the way he peers at her. _'_ _He's intentionally letting down his barriers... for me.'_

"Yes." She declares clearly as her eyes begin to brighten in imagining a home with him, one he'd come back to.

His eyes seem pleased as they roam across her face. "Would you want to see the world with me?"

She turns her head and kisses the hand cupping her cheek. "Yes."

A fire ignites in his eyes surrounding her in a comforting heat as her outpouring of emotion leaves her jittery and wholly exposed before him. "Will you bear my children?"

Her stomach flips as her lips soften in a smile that outdoes the gentle beauty that paints the sky at night. "I will."

His hands sweep behind her back, one smoothing up to cradle the back of her head as he murmurs, "One more…. Do you love me?"

She doesn't even think. "I love you more than you can ever possibly imagine, Zeldris."

His lips catch hers when he bends down, easily rendering her breathless with the sluggish way his mouth strokes hers. It's such a dream turned reality, a relief from her shoulders, being able to tell him wholeheartedly how she feels. She kisses back fervidly, desperate for his flavor, having missed it so much. Her stomach tightens and her heart leaps towards her throat as he kisses her back tenderly as if biting too hard or pressing into her mouth too quickly will send her spiraling. Just feeling the tease of his tongue at the edge of her lips has her whine laced with pleading, so that very well may be the case.

She can feel everything from him, from the way his lips slot over hers like a piece she's longed for, to the way his hands slide up to her shoulders crackling with tendrils of fire that makes her pull away for just a moment to _breathe_. It's then she hears him whisper two words that make her realize he wasn't kissing her carefully to be tender.

"I'm sorry."

He was lulling her into letting her guard down. One of his hands at her shoulder squeezes a point that makes her jolt before everything snaps inward, her consciousness deserting her instantly.


End file.
